Aware of the intense competition for places he faced at Anfield, the 25-year-old opted for a fresh challenge abroad, joining the Serie A champions in a deal worth €35 million. Jones has since become one of the standout new faces in Chivu's squad and says the Romanian's personal touch during negotiations made all the difference.
"There is a reason I came here: the calls we had — with Chivu — how the team plays, his tactical ideas and how he works every day," Jones told The Mirror.
"Those are the small details he talks about, things that might seem insignificant, but end up having a huge impact. He also has immense experience and played at the highest level himself. He has managed the squad brilliantly.
"He's 'one of us,' and for me, that's fundamental."
Jones progressed through Liverpool's academy from the age of eight and spent seven years in the first team, making 228 appearances and winning six major trophies including two Premier League titles, two League Cups, the FA Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup during his time on Merseyside.
His departure this summer reflected a squad reshuffle in Liverpool's midfield, with the club bringing in fresh options as competition for places intensified under new management following Arne Slot's exit.
At Inter Milan, Jones joins a squad still built around much of the core that reached last season's Serie A title, and the midfielder's comments suggest he has been struck by the continuity in ideas and man-management that Chivu has carried into his first full season as head coach, having succeeded Simone Inzaghi last year after Inzaghi's departure for Al-Hilal following defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.
Chivu, a European Cup winner with Inter as a player under José Mourinho in 2010, returned to the club having previously managed its youth ranks before a brief spell at Parma.
Jones's move represents one of several changes to Inter's midfield this year as the club looks to build on last season's domestic title. Having made the step up from a Liverpool side undergoing its own transition following Slot's exit and Andoni Iraola's appointment as his successor, Jones will hope his fresh start in Italy can revive a career that had increasingly been shaped by rotation rather than a guaranteed starting berth.