Chelsea midfielder Jorginho have been lavishly praised by Stamford Bridge hero and former Blues assistant coach Gianfranco Zola who has labelled his compatriot as a player who never hides when on the pitch.
Jorginho has been a major influential presence in the Chelsea lineup this season and with his partner N’Golo Kante suffering a couple of injury issues, the Italy international has stepped up in Kante’s absence to anchor the centre of the park for the west Londoners.
In an interview with The Sun, Zola has heaped plaudits on the former Napoli man, saying that apart from functioning as a vital cog in the Chelsea midfield, Jorginho has also borne the responsibility of skippering the Blues on quite a few occasions.
“Maybe the fans just like to see someone who is always flying into tackles, winning the ball back or is knocking players over all the time. He is always questioned. When something goes wrong and Jorgo makes a mistake, it is always picked up straight away.
“But it is no coincidence that the owner of Manchester City wanted to buy him. I don’t know how close they got but he decided to come to us.
“It’s not like he wasn’t being noticed by other clubs.
“If you are a team that wants to be organised, a passing team, then Jorgo is the man.
“He is always in the right place supporting defenders and the other midfielders when they have the ball. He is always available when the ball is becoming hot.
“This is a player who never hides. And just look, he played under Sarri but he then played under Frank Lampard and now he is becoming an important player for Thomas Tuchel.
“The fans have to understand that he is perfect for a manager.
“Jorgo is not only an important player to have control of the ball but he has also been the skipper many times.
“They gave him responsibility, which means they value him as a player but also as a character.
“You can rely on him all the time. A lot of players under pressure don’t want the ball — but Jorgo is not one of them.
“When you have a player who doesn’t hide when you need to control a game under pressure, you value him a lot. Maybe at times people don’t see this.”
Despite all the plaudits that has come Jorginho’s way for his incredible set of showings over the last season or so, the Italian has been the subject of transfer speculation as well with reports linking him with a return to his homeland.
Napoli had been believed to be in the running to extend an offer for their former player but such talks have failed to gain ground since Jorginho’s agent asserted that the player was not seeking an exit from Chelsea in the summer.
