Jose Mourinho really wanted to build something special at Chelsea following the Blues’ 2015 title triumph.
In his second season back at Chelsea, Mourinho was able to guide the club to their fourth Premier League crown and his third.
The Special One was then hoping to secure another with an ambitious transfer window, but his superiors were simply not on the same wavelength as him.
The year before, Chelsea did try to sign Lionel Messi in the club’s defence. But that level of ambition simply disappeared in the summer of 2015.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Mark Leech Sports Photography/Getty Images
Photo by Marc Atkins/Mark Leech Sports Photography/Getty Images
Jose Mourinho wanted to sign Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Raphael Varane at Chelsea
Chelsea finished the 2014/15 season with a very strong team; it is why they were able to win the Premier League.
Mourinho had a spine consisting of the likes of Thibaut Courtois, John Terry, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa. There was quality all over the pitch.
Yet the 62-year-old was still clearly not satisfied. According to a report from The Standard in May 2015, he wanted to sign Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Raphael Varane all in the same transfer window.
Mourinho was not ready to rest on his laurels. Terry even revealed on The Obi One Podcast that Mourinho threatened to replace him and Gary Cahill with Varane and another top central defender in the middle of a training session!
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In the end, Chelsea did not bring in Varane, Pogba or Griezmann, three superstars who would all go on to win the 2018 World Cup with France.
It probably cost Mourinho his job, with Chelsea sacking the Portuguese midway through the 2015/16 season.
The Blues regressed massively under him, finding themselves just one point above the relegation zone before his dismissal.
Chelsea were able to win the League Cup and Premier League the campaign before, so their fall from grace was very unexpected to say the least.
Still, the team that Mourinho had, even without the additions of Pogba, Griezmann and Varane, it should not have been anywhere near 16th place.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Who Chelsea signed instead of France trio
Mourinho would have felt extremely let down by his bosses. They failed to land his main targets and the players that they were able to bring in were extremely underwhelming.
Other than Pedro, all of Chelsea’s signings that summer were flops, while Mourinho did not even get enough time to see the winger at his best.
Chelsea’s 2015 summer signings Signed from Fee
Pedro Barcelona £21m
Baba Rahman Schalke £17.7m
Asmir Begovic Stoke City £8m
Kennedy Fluminense £6.7m
Radamel Falcao AS Monaco Loan
Michael Hector Reading £4.5m
Nathan Atletico Paranaense £4.5m
Papy Djilobodji Nantes £2.7m
Danilo Pantic Partizan Free transfer
For Mourinho, it was truly a summer to forget. Instead of Pogba, Griezmann and Varane, the former Chelsea manager ended up with the likes of Papy Djilobodji, Michael Hector and Baba Rahman.