Chelsea are embroiled in an enthralling transfer race for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.
What’s the latest on Moises Caicedo to Chelsea?
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues are one of three clubs that are tracking the 21-year-old in a hotly-contested tug-of-war.
The Ecuadorian attempted to force a move to Arsenal in the January window, but the Seagulls awarded him with a new contract and a promise that he could be sold in the summer in case of a good proposal.
We have now reached that time, and Caicedo has been an integral cog in a sensational Roberto De Zerbi outfit that secured European football for the first time in the club’s history.
The south coast side are reportedly holding out for more than £70m for the player, should his exit be sanctioned.
Why does Chelsea want Moises Caicedo?
The journey of this prodigy has been an endearing and magnificent spectacle. He has only made 53 appearances for Brighton, but he has established himself as a formidably consistent protector, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom.
This campaign, the 30-cap international has appeared in 37 Premier League games and his stats make for unbelievable reading – as he averaged 2.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game, the highest in the Brighton squad.
It is not just within his own team that he ruthlessly excelled, as the £60k-per-week machine ranks in the top 12% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for tackles and interceptions, as well as the highest 6% for pass completion, according to FBref.
Since De Zerbi arrived in England, he has drawn huge attention to his tactical ingenuity by playing an attractive possession-based, that focuses on drawing the press and creating huge gaps in the forward areas for his dazzling playmakers to exploit.
This method creates huge pressure on the defenders and pivots within the team, but the all-round quality of Caicedo, embodied by his ability to play defence splitting-passes and act as the shield for his backline, is why he is so sought-after.
His former manager Graham Potter labelled the Ecuadorian talent as “fantastic” and that he “has all the attributes to play at the very, very highest level.”
For the incoming Mauricio Pochettino, though, the signing of this pivot could be a repeat of the magical Mousa Dembele era, who was a pillar of technique, physicality, and agility during an imperious seven-stay at Tottenham Hotspur.
At the peak of his powers during the 2015/16 season, the Belgian powerhouse recorded a mammoth 3.6 tackles and 2.9 dribbles per game – the highest total for both metrics in the side.
Chelsea’s new coach has previously described Dembele as a “genius”, whilst former Arsenal wonderkid Jack Wilshere said he “hated” playing against him.
Dembele and Caicedo share a similar tough-tackling tenacity and a press-resistant dominance on the ball, and the latter could emulate his elder’s extraordinary superiority at Stamford Bridge.
As the west Londoners seek to ignite their midfield revolution, securing this young Brighton ace would be an excellent first step as Pochettino could well unearth his next midfield monster.