Tino Anjorin’s Journey: From Mental Health Struggles to Regular Play at Empoli

Tino Anjorin, a former England youth international, transferred to Empoli from Chelsea during the summer. Six months can be a significant period in the sport of football, particularly for Anjorin. The 23-year-old midfielder, Tino Anjorin, recounted a period in his career marked by severe injuries, stating, “My head was gone, it was the worst mental health stage I have experienced in my life.” Anjorin is currently a regular player for Empoli, a team performing well in Italy’s Serie A, having moved on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer. This current performance level aligns with expectations for Anjorin, who was once regarded as one of the most promising talents from Chelsea’s youth academy at Cobham. His early career at Chelsea, including an EFL Cup debut at 17, a Premier League debut six months thereafter, and a Champions League start against Krasnodar, in addition to two FA Cup appearances, underscored the high regard Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel held for Anjorin’s abilities. Anjorin informed BBC Sport, “I was making my debut in that situation where I just didn’t have any problems and just loved playing my football.” He continued, “Lampard gave me the stage, lit a fire under me to become a Premier League footballer and those appearances attracted clubs like Lokomotiv Moscow and Huddersfield to sign me on loan.” Anjorin also stated, “Thomas Tuchel showed me what you can do as a team that was on the ropes, getting hammered, but ended up winning the Champions League, no-one thought we would do that, not even in the dressing room.” The Covid pandemic commenced two weeks following his Premier League debut. During the subsequent lockdown, Anjorin endeavored to sustain his progress by reducing his weight by approximately 10kg through dietary adjustments and running “10 to 12k every day.” This method was later identified as misguided by former fitness staff at Cobham, with Anjorin explaining, “I ended up completely tearing my quad because I didn’t have any muscle on me.” The subsequent season brought an unrelated metatarsal injury while he was on loan at Lokomotiv Moscow. Despite this, Anjorin managed to perform exceptionally in the Europa League, notably scoring a “wonderful, curling finish against Marseille.” He subsequently returned to England for enhanced oversight by Chelsea’s medical personnel during his loan spell at Huddersfield, but an ankle surgery resulted in him missing 11 Championship matches. His Premier League-level salary, established after his debut in June 2020, combined with his injury history, led to reduced interest in his services for loan spells. Consequently, he expressed being “grateful” that League One club Portsmouth “took a chance” on him. Regrettably, during his time at Portsmouth, Anjorin encountered another injury, which he had previously characterized as “heart-breaking.” He elaborated, “It was just starting to go well, and then my hamstring just tore almost completely off the bone, 5% was left hanging on, it was not nice.” He further shared, “I don’t have a story about something getting me through, my head was completely gone – it was the worst mental health I’ve had in my life. “I wasn’t dealing with it well at all. No-one could speak to me, no-one could do anything. I just sat there, I’d go in, and just ice it, and then go and just sleep.” Six weeks post-surgery, his mental state remained challenging. However, Anjorin expressed appreciation for Portsmouth’s message: “We want you for the end of the season, or when you get back, just take your time, make sure you’re really strong so you can get back.” He revealed, “I fully expected to be re-joining Portsmouth permanently this summer, they will always be in my heart, so if someone told me then I’d be playing Milan at San Siro – I’d have laughed at them. “It all happened so quickly, even when the opportunity was first brought to me, I didn’t believe it.” This season, Anjorin has recorded two assists across 12 appearances for Empoli. Since his arrival at Empoli, Anjorin has featured 11 times as a central midfielder for the team, which currently holds 10th place in Serie A and recently eliminated Fiorentina from the Coppa Italia. When questioned about his aspirations and the possibility of returning to the Premier League in the future, he stated, “Here at Empoli they listen to us. “Everyone thinks in football you have to push yourself to 100% every day, but there are some days where you don’t feel right and 70 or 80% is enough. People in football don’t tell you that.”” He added, “There’s not as many games as England and the pace isn’t as fast. And all the experimenting between 18 and 21, I know my body now. I’ve put on muscle, lost muscle, had different diets, completely got rid of this, gained this.” Anjorin concluded this thought by saying, “And so now I feel like I’m in a space where everything’s finally coming together. I am in a space where I want to get to the top level.” He has also competed against several of his former Chelsea team-mates. Anjorin further remarked, “It was fun playing against Billy Gilmour and Romelu Lukaku with Napoli the other day, San Siro left me dazed in the tunnel and returning to Lazio, where I played with Lokomotiv, for a league game was special.” He continued, “I fit the system, they have a plan for me and my team-mates are helping me to adapt to life in Italy. Personally, my goal is just to play as many games as I can, have a fully fit season and reach and play full games as many as I can.” Anjorin concluded, “That’s all that I’m focusing on now. And then, personally, whatever happens, happens. I don’t know, I’m not looking into the future right now.”