“He has all the qualities to play in midfield” – as Tuchel reveals why Chelsea should sign £72m Brazilian player
It’s no secret that Tuchel is a huge admirer of Marquinhos, who he labelled “the heart and soul of our team” last year when in charge of PSG.
Meanwhile, according to L’Equipe via Daily Express, Chelsea lodged a whopping £72m bid for PSG defender Marquinhos in the summer in an attempt to reunite Thomas Tuchel with the Brazilian.
However, PSG rejected Chelsea’s bid for the Brazilian defender with the Blues failing to strengthen the defence last summer.
Tuchel said last October when moving the defender into midfield: “Marquinhos is the heart and soul of our team. That’s why he must play at the heart of the action, but also because he’s talented.”
“He has all the qualities to play in midfield and has a worker’s mentality. He can help the defenders and the forwards at the same time. It’s important that he’s close to everybody as he’s the boss.
“‘Marqui’ covers more ground than anybody else in the team and is valuable in the counter-pressing.
“If ‘Marqui’ needs to play at the back, then he will, but he has proven his ability in midfield. He can really push the team to its best level.
“He did that several times last season, notably during the ‘Final 8’ in Portugal. He scored against Atalanta and Leipzig. He is exceptional.”