Chelsea

Frank Lampard "delighted" to have Jorginho at Chelsea

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 19 July 2019

New Chelsea boss pays tribute to the leadership qualities of midfielder Jorginho, who was criticised at times during the 2018-19 season.

New Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has lavished praise on midfielder Jorginho.

The Blues held off competition from Manchester City to sign the 27-year-old from Napoli last summer.

The Brazilian-born Italy international made 54 appearances for his club during the 2018-19 campaign, missing just one Premier League game for Maurizio Sarri's side.

Jorginho's contribution was called into question on a number of occasions, though, with Sarri deciding to move N'Golo Kante from the holding midfield position to allow the former Verona youngster to dictate the play.

Lampard, however, has said that he is "delighted" to be able to call on Jorginho and also paid tribute to the midfielder's leadership qualities.

"It's not only his quality on the ball. We know all about that from last year, his comfort on the ball and the bravery he shows. It's not normal to receive the ball in tight areas and to deal with it - and to keep doing it constantly," The Mirror quotes Lampard as saying.

"His attitude in training has also been first class. He's a driver of a session. He's a voice. He runs, he pushes people around him, he drags people up when he doesn't feel they're working as much as he might want - and I've loved seeing that.

"So in terms of first impressions, working with him for 10 days, I can't ask for any more. I'm delighted to have him."

Chelsea will open their 2019-20 Premier League campaign away to Manchester United on August 11 before facing Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup three days later.