Thomas Tuchel once made ‘warrior’ defender his top target at Chelsea, he’s now playing in Qatar

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While at Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel once wanted to sign one of his former Paris Saint-Germain players.

Tuchel was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to work alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar at PSG.

Of course, neither superstar was on the market in 2022, but one of their teammates certainly looked attainable and became a key target for Chelsea.

A couple of years prior to that, Chelsea signed Thiago Silva from PSG, one of the best pieces of business the club have ever done. New Blues signing Jorrel Hato recently discussed Silva, naming him as his football idol growing up.

• READ MORE: Chelsea thought Thomas Tuchel’s top target was a bargain, he’ll now go down as one of their worst buys

Thomas Tuchel wanted Qatar SC signing Presnel Kimpembe at Chelsea

Qatari outfit Qatar SC have just signed Presnel Kimpembe from PSG, but if Tuchel had got his way in 2022, the central defender could have been at Chelsea right now.

With Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen joining Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, the Blues made strengthening their central defence a priority going into the 2022/23 Premier League season.

It was claimed that Tuchel made Kimpembe his No.1 target for the centre-back position after working with the Frenchman at the Parc des Princes.

Unfortunately for the German, though, there was no reunion, with Kimpembe remaining at PSG.

Instead, Chelsea went on to sign Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana to replace Rudiger and Christensen, but neither transfer has really worked out.

Koulibaly moved to Saudi Arabia after just one season in England, while Fofana has struggled to stay fit.

Kimpembe has had his own injury problems; however, so he may not have been the solution despite how much Tuchel wanted him.

After recently returning from a serious injury, Kimpembe told beIN SPORTS that he was a “warrior”. Qatari football will now get to see that.

Why Presnel Kimpembe never joined Chelsea

While Kimpembe did consider leaving the Parc des Princes for Stamford Bridge, he decided to stay put after a conversation with Luis Campos, PSG’s football advisor.

According to a report from Le 10 Sport in 2022, Campos was a huge fan of the France international and convinced him to stay.

Had it not been for Campos’ intervention, perhaps Tuchel would have got what he wanted.