After 45 Premier League appearances and one of the more bewildering transfer sagas in recent memory, Moisés Caicedo is a £115m player. The midfielder’s value has risen beyond all expectations since he joined Brighton for £4.5m in February 2021 and Chelsea, who ended up having to pay more than they anticipated because of Liverpool’s actions last week, are inevitably having to deal with more criticism about their wild spending after deciding to break the British transfer record for the second time this year.
It seems there is no end to the excess. When word emerged that Chelsea were intent on holding firm during talks with Brighton, the response was that Caicedo would eventually go for at least £100m. Familiar questions about how that was possible were asked, keeping in mind the doubts over whether the club can possibly meet Financial Fair Play regulations, but the expectation always was that Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital would not let this deal collapse. Chelsea had invested too much time into wooing Caicedo, Mauricio Pochettino’s top target in midfield, and the only thing that really changed after Liverpool had an offer of £111m accepted by Brighton last Thursday was that the asking price crept up.
Of course, there was some irritation within Stamford Bridge at Liverpool’s attempt to hijack the transfer. It was always Chelsea for Caicedo but they did not think he would cost quite so much. Liverpool’s presence blurred things, allowing Brighton to ask for more for the Ecuador international, although everything has ended up working in Chelsea’s favour. Not only have they delivered Pochettino’s first choice, they are also set to strengthen further in midfield by beating Liverpool to the signing of Roméo Lavia from Southampton.
It has not been a good few days for Liverpool, who looked in desperate need of a holding midfielder during their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday. Multiple sources close to the Lavia transfer have expressed bemusement over the Anfield club’s tactics. It is understood that the 19-year-old was left feeling that he was Liverpool’s second choice after they bid for Caicedo, opening the door for Chelsea to make their move and convince Lavia to join their talented young squad.
Chelsea played it better. Although their spending since being bought by Boehly and Clearlake last summer will soon pass the £1bn mark, their view is that Caicedo fixes one of their most pressing issues: a lack of presence in midfield. It could be a transformational buy. Chelsea have been soft in the middle for a while and have repeatedly failed to address a clear weakness. They have made too many short-term decisions, such as signing Saúl Ñíguez on loan instead of going for Aurélien Tchouameni in 2021, and were too reliant on N’Golo Kanté to stay fit before the France midfielder moved to the Saudi Pro league this summer.
Chelsea needed rejuvenation. They have gambled by allowing Kanté, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount to leave this year. These are experienced, quality players and, with the exception of Kanté, have been snapped up by big clubs. Kovacic, a brilliant technician, has been deemed good enough to slot into Manchester City’s midfield.
The scale of the change has not made life easier for Pochettino since his appointment. At the start of their pre-season tour their options in midfield were Enzo Fernández, Conor Gallagher, Carney Chukwuemeka, Andrey Santos and Cesare Casadei. Fernández and Gallagher had extensive top-level experience, but the rest were inexperienced kids. Pochettino kept talking about needing more. When a midfielder finally arrived, though, it was another teenager: Lesley Ugochukwu, a 19-year-old from Rennes who is set to go out on loan.
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That it was not enough was evident when Chelsea faced Liverpool with a midfield of Fernández, Gallagher and Chukwuemeka. All played well individually and had more energy than Liverpool. However, while Gallagher impressed with selflessness and tenacity, he is not at his best as a holding midfielder. The 23-year-old was filling in out of position and there were times during the first half when Liverpool’s attack threatened to run straight through Chelsea.
Caicedo, quick and strong but also outstanding on the ball, has the skillset to shut the gaps in front of Chelsea’s defence. Imagine the effect on Fernández. The £106.8m Argentinian was liberated by playing in a more advanced role against Liverpool. Fernández’s creativity came to the fore – he would have had a gorgeous assist had Ben Chilwell’s goal not been ruled offside – and the thought of the World Cup winner lining up alongside Caicedo is a worrying prospect for the rest of the league. That is more than £200m worth of talent and Chelsea will hope the ball runs even more smoothly if Lavia, comfortable sitting deep and adept at beating the press, settles quickly.
Lavia-Fernández-Caicedo: LFC, as triumphant Chelsea fans have been quick to note. The succession planning has accelerated and Chelsea are ready for the future. They think that Santos, a 19-year-old Brazilian, is going to be a star. Casadei, a 20-year-old Italian, did well during pre-season and will benefit from a year on loan at Leicester. Chukwuemeka, 19, has forced his way into Pochettino’s plans.
At a time when midfielders are all the rage, Chelsea look set. Caicedo is 21 and is surely going to get better. What he is worth will ultimately come down to what he produces on the pitch; £115m will look like nothing to Chelsea if Caicedo helps them rejoin the elite.
