This was quite a nice thing to wake up to, this morning!
Napoli’s exceptional midfielder Jorginho, who is a well publicised Jurgen Klopp target, has basically dropped a big ‘come and get me’ plea to Liverpool and Manchester City – while politely telling United to stay away.
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Jose Mourinho’s side is also keen on the Italy international, who impressed at Wembley on Tuesday evening, but Jorginho doesn’t want to play for a lethargic, long-ball outfit.
“I think that I could fit (in the Premier League),” he told reporters, cited in the Echo. “It depends on who else is around me – I need players with the same characteristics that I have.
“There are English teams with this style of play, ball on the ground, quick transitions, high pressure.
“If one of those teams wanted me, I could fit and the other way round. My football way is not an usual one.”
The 26-year-old doesn’t mention specific names, but the implications are obvious, and will hopefully give us the upper-hand when approaching the Brazilian born midfielder.
Pep Guardiola has recently described Jorginho as ‘spectacular,’ with the deep-lying playmaker returning the compliment:
“It’s always nice to receive compliments, but it’s spectacular when they come from a manager with that importance and winning past,” he said.
Many will read this as a hint that Jorginho is City bound, but don’t underestimate the persuasive powers of Klopp. Just ask Virgil van Dijk (courted by City) and Naby Keita (a Barcelona target, before we secured him).
United have a number of brilliant players, but in Mourinho, a manager unwilling to allow them creative freedom. As a result, the likes of Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and Anthony Martial are struggling.
They’re not going to get rid of the Portuguese, though, so it looks like a straight shootout between Klopp and Pep for Jorginho’s summer signature.
Hopefully our rivals will focus their attention on Shakhtar’s Fred, the Brazilian midfielder with similarly composed qualities.