Frank Lampard provides verdict on Jorginho ahead of Chelsea vs Arsenal
Frank Lampard has expressed his opinion about Jorginho before Chelsea’s Premier League match against Arsenal on May 2nd.
Jorginho previously played for Lampard during his initial tenure as Chelsea manager.
However, Lampard was dismissed in January 2021, and Jorginho moved to Arsenal for a fee of £12 million two years after leaving Stamford Bridge.
Jorginho, who is now 31 years old, will be playing against his former team for the first time since he moved to the Emirates. Lampard, speaking in anticipation of the match against Arsenal, commended the ex-Napoli midfielder and stated, as reported by Metro:
“I like Jorgi, he’s a very, very good player. Part of the team that went on to win the Champions League and a central figure in it, I think. Good personality in the dressing room to drive the team – a good player.
“If he plays he’s just another good player in that squad and that’s the options that teams who are challenging for the titles have. Sometimes you can change a player and not drop the level, or in fact bring a different type of player in, and if that happens then it’s obviously something we’ve just got to deal with.”
During the 2021-22 Champions League campaign, Jorginho was only absent from one game due to a suspension. He played a vital role in helping his team win the competition by defeating Manchester City in the final.
Jorginho’s signing by Mikel Arteta in January did not suggest a long-term plan since the midfielder agreed to a one-and-a-half-year contract. Nevertheless, he has been regularly utilized this season, featuring in eleven matches across various competitions for his new club.
When Frank Lampard was dismissed from his position as Chelsea’s manager in January 2021, Jorginho was still playing for the club. At that point, Chelsea had only won one game out of their last eight league matches.
In April of the same year, Jorginho gave an interview where he commented on Lampard’s appointment as Chelsea’s head coach in the summer of 2019. The Italian midfielder remarked that Lampard may have missed a few steps before taking on the role, as reported by the aforementioned source.
“Look, I’ll be really sincere here on Lampard. I believe, given he was a legend at the club, he skipped some steps necessary for learning before moving to a big club.
“He came to a club where he is a legend, without having experience at other clubs. I think he came too soon, skipped a few steps ahead and wasn’t ready for a job at this level, to be honest.”
Before taking over as the senior manager of Chelsea, Frank Lampard had a one-year stint as the manager of the club’s youth team, which lasted until June 2018. He then moved on to become the manager of Derby County for a single season. After that, he was appointed as the senior manager of Chelsea, following Maurizio Sarri’s departure.
Frank Lampard provides verdict on Jorginho ahead of Chelsea vs Arsenal