‘Get rid of him’: Chelsea told they’d have a better midfield if they signed £65m star and put him in over Jorginho

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ESPN pundit Steve Nicol has told Chelsea they’d have a better midfield if they replaced Jorginho with reported target Frenkie de Jong.

Barcelona’s central midfielder De Jong, 25, is a player linked with the Blues in this summer window.

It’s been reported Chelsea have privately been informed by Barcelona they can sign him. He’s a player in the sights of Thomas Tuchel’s side, but right now he isn’t a priority target for them.

Nicol suggests Jorginho should be replaced by De Jong

ESPN’s Nicol is an admirer of Barca playmaker De Jong, who cost £65million to sign from Ajax three years ago.

He’s pretty confident he would improve the starting line-up at Stamford Bridge if he replaced 30-year-old Blues midfielder Jorginho.

“Frenkie de Jong is a great player… If you want to take Jorginho out and get rid of him and put Frenkie de Jong in, I think that makes Chelsea better,” Nicol told ESPN.

“In my mind, I don’t get De Jong as a Chelsea player, but at the same time, you need to get better.”

Jorginho still pivotal to squad

In fairness, Nicol isn’t the first and won’t be the last person to undervalue Jorginho.

There’s no guarantee a player like De Jong, despite his talent, would automatically be a success in the Chelsea XI, especially given he’s never played in English football before.

Meanwhile, the Blues already Italy international Jorginho, who doesn’t get enough credit for his quality.

The midfielder’s one of the individuals to stand out in pre-season so far, so don’t be surprised if he’s in for another decent campaign.

He’s an individual that Tuchel can bank on for a 7/10 performance most weeks, plus the value he adds to the dressing room with his personality and leadership is crucial.

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