UEFA Men’s player of the year Jorginho has made quite a career for himself at Chelsea. The Italian international joined the Blues back in 2018, alongside former manager Maurizio Sarri, for a deal worth £50m, a figure which certainly seems worth it in hindsight.
After a roller coaster beginning, Jorginho has firmly established himself as the midfielder metronome at the heart of Chelsea’s current system. The Euros winner was also pivotal in Chelsea’s Champions League-winning campaign and their subsequent Super Cup triumph.
With that in perspective, it’s safe to say the move was a good deal for both parties, however, Jorginho recently revealed just how close he was to join a different team altogether.
Jorginho | Chelsea star says he could have signed for Man City – Still dreams of playing for Guardiola.https://t.co/wxxGTSbNEb #cfc #mcfc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) February 18, 2022
In an interview with Brazilian YouTuber Alê Oliveira, the Italian said, “A bid arrived and… you don’t know, man. I’m not going to say it. No, I’m kidding. I wasn’t supposed to come to Chelsea, man. I was supposed to have arrived at another club. Another English club.”
Prior to his move to London, Jorginho was heavily linked with Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester City, the deal looked to be done until Chelsea swooped in, which surprised even the man himself, he said, “And then it happened as it happened and I arrived at Chelsea, which also, hey, with history, that’s Chelsea, right, man. So with Chelsea, everything happened very fast. When I saw it, I was already in London and I said ‘let’s go’.”
While he certainly won’t have any regrets, especially due to his trophy-laden stint at the Blues so far, the Italian did express his dreams of playing under Guardiola, “I have. I don’t know if it will [happen]. But yeah, he’s a reference. When I was a kid, watching his Barcelona win everything with Ronaldinho, Xavi, Iniesta.”
It’s easy to see why Guardiola wanted Jorginho, his possession-based style of play along with his resistance to opposition pressing makes him a perfect fit for Pep’s system. But with the Italian now at the Blues, the prospect might now just be another case of ‘what if?’
