Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel praises Jorginho and says the pressure he felt when playing with the Azzurri was underestimated.
The former Napoli star has scored nine goals in 41 appearances this season and could start in tonight’s Premier League clash against Arsenal.
“He played injured, sacrificed himself for the team [earlier this season] and I think you see it now,” Tuchel said at a press conference as quoted by Football London.
“You can never underestimate how much pressure was on him to play for the national team, the country, for Italy. The demand is high after big success like winning the European Championships. I think he really felt the pressure there, everybody in Italy felt it. This is normal.”
Jorginho has scored all his nine Chelsea goals from the spot this term but has fluffed the last three penalty kicks taken with the Azzurri. The 29-year-old missed one during the penalty shootout in the Euro 2020 Final against England and two more in two games against Switzerland during the World Cup qualification group.
Jorginho sees his Chelsea contract expire in June 2023 and has been linked with a return to Italy. Juventus seem interested in securing his services and have already opened talks with the player’s entourage. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian Regista has demanded a €7m-a-year salary to move to Turin in the summer.