Jorginho on Sarri’s ‘wonderful work’ and choosing shirt No.5 in honor of Brazil legend Falcão

Before travelling to the other side of the globe, Chelsea’s most recent (and so far only) summer signing sat down with Chelsea TV for the customary first interview. We’ve already seen a few words from this (Ed.note: it was an “App exclusive”, which hopefully isn’t going to be a new trend), but Chelsea recently posted a transcript of the whole interview.

This interview isn’t meant to be a hard-hitting affair of couse, just an introduction, and thus includes pressing questions about any acquaintances the new signing might already know what his interest was in The Best League in the World™.

“I know Davide Zappacosta from the Italy team. I also know a few others who I played against like Marcos Alonso, Emerson and Alvaro Morata. [...] It is really helpful to have someone here I know like Davide to help me settle in, particularly when I am in another country that I don’t know yet.

“Today everyone watches the Premier League so I have watched plenty of it times in my time. It is a fantastic league, the best in the world I think. [...] You move the ball very quickly and it is a very fast-paced football. Is it a natural fit? I really hope so. Perhaps my style of play is not something that is seen in England, I really hope that it is a good fit for the game over here and I will certainly be doing everything I can to make sure it works out.”

Most of the subsequent conversation revolved around Jorginho’s development as a player, individual style of play and favoured position, as well as the influence of his former and current coach Maurizio Sarri.

“[Sarri] is someone who does wonderful work, he is right on top of everything that is going on on the pitch. When the weekend comes around and you have a game, you start that game knowing how every situation is going to pan out on the field offensively and defensively, and that is something that really helps you in your work. He is a very straight-forward person, he is easy to communicate with, he is very approachable and that is something that also helps the players. I think he had a really big influence on my development as player, exactly because of that – he teaches a lot about the game and how you see the game on the field of play, and that helped me to grow.”

These are merely words for now, but it’s nevertheless encouraging to hear a player so coveted as Jorginho speak so highly about Sarri, especially the personal insight into the new Chelsea head coach’s ability to develop and improve players.

The question I thought was the most intriguing, however, was why Jorginho specifically chose the No.5 for himself

“I think it is a strong number, and in Brazilian football it is a number that is well-respected and has an important place in the history of football, but above all it is just a number I like. I think it is a beautiful number. And also because great players in the past like Falcao from Brazil wore it.”

-Jorginho; source: Chelsea FC

The Falcão Jorginho is referring to is Paulo Roberto Falcão, a Brazilian legend who plied his trade in Italy in the early-to-mid 80s and is often regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. (Former Chelsea player Radamel Falcao is in fact named after him in tribute.)

All in all, it’s a rather straightforward but thoroughly enjoyable interview and, most importantly, it provides a brief respite from the exhausting Silly Season rumours.

Definitely looking forward to seeing Jorginho in action!