Paris Saint-Germain did Chelsea a huge favour on Saturday after beating Arsenal in the Champions League final.
By doing so, Chelsea remain the only London club to have won European football’s elite competition.
The Blues have done it twice after winning in 2021 and 2012, a feat that PSG have now managed to replicate.
The French club have won the Champions League back to back now, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Marquinhos being at the heart of their success.
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Jose Mourinho was desperate to sign Marquinhos in 2015
Once upon a time, Chelsea actually tried to sign Marquinhos from PSG. It was 11 years ago when Jose Mourinho was still in charge of the Blues.
After failing to persuade Everton to sell John Stones to them, Chelsea turned their attention to Marquinhos.
As per Sky Sports, they made two bids for the defender on deadline day, which were both unsuccessful.
Chelsea FC v Paris Saint-Germain FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
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It was the very end of the transfer window and Marquinhos was already an established first-team player at PSG despite still being just 21 years of age. The French giants were never going to sell him.
Fast forward to the present, and PSG will be glad they never did. Marquinhos is now one of the best centre-halves in the world and has captained Luis Enrique’s side to two Champions League titles.
Mourinho would have been extremely disappointed to have missed out on him. Had Chelsea landed the Brazilian instead of Papy Djilobodji, the 2015/16 season could have turned out a lot differently for the Special One.
Marquinhos possesses everything Chelsea’s defence lacks
If Chelsea had Marquinhos right now, their 2025/26 campaign also probably would have been a lot different.
Looking at their central defence, they are lacking a figure like Marquinhos, a leader with both experience and ability.
At 6’0″, Marquinhos is not exactly the tallest centre-back. But he is still such an aggressive defender and has a very good leap, winning plenty of aerial duels despite his height.
Chelsea are expected to sign a new centre-half in the summer transfer window. It will not be Marquinhos, but if they can find someone similar to him, they will not go wrong.
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