The sting of Arsenal’s 3-1 aggregate defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 Champions League semi-finals lingers at the Emirates, but for Gunners fans, the pain runs deeper than the scoreline. The revelation that Arsenal passed on signing Georgian superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in 2022, opting instead for Brazilian winger Marquinhos, has sparked a wave of frustration and disbelief across social media. Kvaratskhelia, now a dazzling force at PSG, tormented Arsenal’s defense in both legs, leaving supporters to ponder what might have been had the club taken a chance on the then-emerging talent. The collective outcry—branding the decision a “sackable offence” and even “treason”—underscores a missed opportunity that continues to haunt the North London faithful.
Kvaratskhelia’s journey to stardom is the stuff of football fairy tales. In 2022, while playing for Rubin Kazan in Russia, the 24-year-old winger caught the eye of Arsenal’s scouting network, renowned for unearthing hidden gems. Former scout Tomasz Pasieczny was tasked with evaluating the Georgian during a match against Dynamo Moscow. But the game proved disastrous for Kvaratskhelia. “He came off the bench, made two completely unsuccessful dribbles, and the fans reacted very negatively,” Pasieczny recalled. “At that stage, he couldn’t cope with it. Every next move was bad, from start to finish. He got lost, the ball bounced off him, you could see that he had lost his confidence.” The scout’s report highlighted concerns about Kvaratskhelia’s ability to handle pressure, noting, “Being affected by a few thousand people in Kazan doesn’t lead to a good rating.” Arsenal walked away, choosing instead to sign Marquinhos from São Paulo for £3.5 million—a decision that now feels like a monumental misstep.
Marquinhos, still contracted to Arsenal until 2027, has made just six senior appearances for the club, with only one in the Premier League. His tenure has been marked by loan spells at Norwich, Nantes, Fluminense, and currently Cruzeiro, where he struggles for minutes. Meanwhile, Kvaratskhelia’s trajectory has been meteoric. After leaving Rubin Kazan for Dinamo Batumi, he joined Napoli for a bargain £11 million in 2022, earning the nickname ‘Kvaradona’ for his pivotal role in their Serie A title triumph. His £70 million move to PSG in January 2025 has paid dividends, with four goals and six assists in 24 appearances, including a standout performance against Arsenal. “Everyone knew he would be mega good, but they wondered how good,” Pasieczny admitted, reflecting on the Georgian’s potential that Arsenal failed to harness.
Fans have not held back their fury. “That is a sackable offence,” one supporter fumed on social media, while another declared, “The person who did this should be jailed for treason.” A third took aim at former sporting director Edu, branding him a “fool” for the oversight. The decision stings all the more given Arsenal’s struggles against PSG’s attacking trio of Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, and Achraf Hakimi, who overwhelmed Mikel Arteta’s side. Kvaratskhelia’s flair and defensive discipline, praised by World Cup winner Bixente Lizarazu as “symbolic” of PSG’s new work ethic, exposed Arsenal’s lack of depth on the wings, where Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have underperformed this season.
The missed opportunity has reignited calls for Arsenal to bolster their attack in the upcoming transfer window. Arteta’s squad, while brimming with talent like Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, lacks the X-factor Kvaratskhelia brings—a player who “gets you on your feet whenever he gets the ball,” as journalist Charles Watts noted. With PSG now eyeing a treble, including a Champions League final against Inter Milan, Arsenal fans are left to rue a scouting misjudgment that could have altered their European fortunes. As the Gunners regroup for the Premier League and domestic cups, the ghost of Kvaratskhelia’s brilliance serves as a stark reminder: in football, the ones that got away can hurt the most.