Jorginho’s agent keeps Italy return option open on the back burner

After playing a key role for both Maurizio Sarri and Frank Lampard over the past two seasons, Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has found himself on the bench much more often this season. In fact, after starting 64 of our 76 league games during those two seasons (and missing just 4 altogether), he’s started just 7 of the 16 so far this season, adding 3 substitute appearances. That means he’s failed to feature in more Premier League games already this season (6), than the previous two combined (4).

And that shift in usage looks set to continue, with Frank Lampard preferring to utilize N’Golo Kanté at the base of the midfield triangle these days — though Jorginho has seen a few more minutes lately as advanced midfielders Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovačić have struggled for form and Kanté had to deputize further upfield.

Either way, with Jorginho now halfway through the five-year deal he signed in 2018, it’s time to truly start thinking about his future at the club. He celebrated his 29th birthday ten days ago, but more pertinently, he doesn’t seem to be fitting in at all into the style of football Chelsea are trying to play these days. And that would make this coming summer the ideal time to bid him farewell.

Jorginho’s agent, ever the wily one, surely knows this as well, and is thus making a solid effort in keeping the Italy return option open for his main man.

“Jorge is a Chelsea player and he is very happy there, but I wouldn’t rule out a return to Italy in future.”

-João Santos; source: Radio Kiss Kiss via Football Italia

No one seems to be breaking down Chelsea’s doors at the moment to sign Jorginho, but Maurizio Sarri probably won’t be out of a job for too long.