‘For me, he could become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and in Europe.’
It didn’t take long – only a month in fact – for Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi to be charmed by the immense talent of Moises Caicedo.
‘Caicedo is a top player with and without the ball,’ he continued when speaking back in October. ‘There are many players who are very good with the ball but without it in defensive spaces are not so good.
‘Others in the defensive space are top but with the ball, there are some problems. With Caicedo, I don’t see anything not at the top level. He has no limit.’
There is no doubt the Seagulls star enjoyed a tremendous campaign at the heart of Brighton’s midfield last season, playing a key role in helping them qualify for Europe for the first time in their history.
Brighton star Moises Caicedo enjoyed a stunning season for his side as they finished sixth
Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi (left) is a massive admirer of the Ecuadorian midfielder, 21
It is therefore no surprise he has been linked with a whole host of top European sides this summer for a potential fee in excess of £80million.
However, it is easy to forget this is a player who is just 21, only made his Premier League debut in April last year and almost guided his national team to the knockout stages at the World Cup for only the second time in their history – such has been his rapid rise.
Back when he joined Brighton in the winter of 2021 for a mere £4m from Independiente del Valle in his homeland, the midfielder outlined N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba as his idols which emphasised his view that he was an all-round midfielder.
And Caicedo could be following in the footsteps of one of his heroes given Man United and Chelsea are seen as the front-runners in the battle him.
The Red Devils have had three bids rejected for Mason Mount this summer, with their latest offer of £55m being declined by the Blues last week.
United believe their valuation of Mount is fair, as he is out of contract next summer and is keen to move to Old Trafford. However, Chelsea have indicated they will only accept an offer of £58m plus another £7m in add-ons.
Caicedo (right) has caught the eye of several top clubs and has been heavily linked with a move to both Chelsea and Manchester United this summer for a mammoth fee in excess of £80m
This has led them to turn their focus to alternatives which include Caicedo and Brighton have hinted they would be open to letting their star man leave – but only for a fee of more than £80m.
Meanwhile, Mail Sport reported last week how Chelsea – who were in for Caicedo in January when the midfielder handed in a transfer request amid interest from Arsenal – were planning to go back for him as they get set to rake in more than £100m from the sales of Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy.
Mauricio Pochettino is keen to reshape his squad after a dismal season that saw the Blues finish in the bottom half of the top flight for the first time since 1994-95, despite spending more than £600m on 18 players.
In light of the interest from the two Premier league giants, Mail Sport examines where Caicedo would fit in at each club and what he would bring to the team.
Manchester United
It was a positive first season at Old Trafford for Erik ten Hag as he guided United back into the Champions League, courtesy of a third place finish, while they also won the Carabao Cup.
He is desperate to strengthen his squad this summer but there is uncertainty over what he will have to spend given the ongoing negotiations over the club’s takeover, along with FFP restrictions, while Mail Sport explained on Sunday how they are also open to selling as many as 13 stars to raise extra funds.
The Dutchman may have already had Caicedo among his ranks but it was reported that United pulled out of a bargain £4.5m move for the Ecuadorian when he originally joined Brighton.
Last season, they tended to play Christian Eriksen next to Casemiro at the base of their midfield, with Scott McTominay, Fred and occasionally Bruno Fernandes filling in when the Dane was absent.
United’s main target is Chelsea’s Mason Mount (right) but they have so far been unable to reach a deal with the Blues for the England midfielder, meaning Caicedo is now an alternative
Christian Eriksen impressed for Erik ten Hag’s side, but is viewed as more comfortable in attack
Eriksen was an astute pick-up and impressed, although in games against bigger teams, the midfield was often criticised for being exposed with the former Tottenham star seen as more comfortable in attack than defence.
He was badly missed during a large chunk of the second half of the season due to injury which included the 7-0 thrashing by Liverpool at Anfield.
However, in that game Casemiro and Fred – who has been touted for a move to Fulham – were badly exposed.
The arrival of Caicedo would unquestionably improve United’s defensive solidity and structure upon their return to Europe’s elite club competition, and he would likely form a double pivot alongside Casemiro.
According to Opta, the Ecuadorian outperformed Eriksen in several key metrics last season.
When measured per 90 minutes, Caicedo completed more successful passes (56.2 to 51.3), made significantly more tackles (2.9 to 1.0), achieved more interceptions (1.6 to 0.5), won possession more (7.1 to 6.6) and even created more chances from open play (1.2 to 1.0).
His arrival could free up the Dane to play further forward and add to their options in attack alongside Fernandes and Marcus Rashford behind a potential new striker.
Meanwhile, Casemiro was hugely impressive after completing a £70m move from Real Madrid last summer and achieved similar stats to Caicedo, although the Brighton man outperformed him in some areas, including on tackles made and possession won each game.
Casemiro was a key man for United last year and could form a superb partnership with Caicedo
Out of the Ecuadorian’s 34 starts for Brighton last year, 27 were as the deepest-lying midfielder, four were further forward in the centre, while he even featured at right back in three games – demonstrating his impressive versatility.
Intriguingly, while a quality player, the 21-year-old is vastly different to Mount who – despite an injury hit campaign – played in attacking midfield or on the left for 19 of his 24 Premier League appearances.
Just five of his games were in centre midfield and that was usually alongside more defensive-minded options.
For example, in the 2-1 away win over Crystal Palace in October, Mount lined up in a midfield three with Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic.
Given United’s attacking talents and struggle for control in big games, it feels as if a player of the profile of Caicedo would be well-suited to Ten Hag’s style of play next season.
Mount’s talents would also be welcomed and they may yet to find a resolution to the impasse with Chelsea, but given in his favoured role further forward they already have Fernandes, Eriksen and Rashford among others, their inability to so far prise him away may yet have helped them find the ideal recruit in Caicedo.
Chelsea
Mail Sport reported last week how Chelsea were planning to step up talks for Caicedo after a £60m offer was rejected two weeks ago.
A move for the Ecuadorian comes amid significant change in midfield at the club after N’Golo Kante completed his move to Al-Ittihad, Kovacic joined Manchester City, along with the likely departure of Mount.
The Blues are keen to partner him with club-record signing Enzo Fernandez ahead of next season in midfield and that would provide an intriguing prospect.
With Fernandez just 22 and Caicedo 21, a successful pursuit of the Ecuadorian could see the Blues line up with two of the world’s best young midfielders for a decade.
After Fernandez arrived from Benfica in January for a world record £107m fee, he tended to play in midfield next to Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who has now joined AC Milan, Conor Gallagher or if fit, Kante.
Chelsea would ideally like to line up with a midfield of Enzo Fernandez alongside Caicedo
Caicedo is seen as a complete midfielder with impressive statistics in both attack and defence
However, with Kovacic and Kante gone and the other two options better in more attacking roles, while their futures are also uncertain, Caicedo could become a sensational partner for the Argentinian.
When at Tottenham, incoming Blues boss Pochettino tended to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with an attacking quartet of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane ahead of two deeper-lying midfielders, such as Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama or Eric Dier.
If he adopts something similar in west London, Pochettino will have a plethora of forward talent to pick from, including Mykhailo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke and the incoming pair of Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku.
During Chelsea’s most successful periods over recent years – including in their Champions League final triumph of 2021 – they tended play at least two of Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic and it is almost that certain that none of the trio will be there for next season.
Therefore, Fernandez and Caicedo could arguably create a dynasty at the club over the next decade.
And it will make for pleasant reading to Blues supporters that the Ecuadorian has favourable statistics when compared to Kovacic and Kante.
It could be argued he has the best traits of the two decorated stars combined, with a passing accuracy of 88.8 per cent superior to Kovacic at 86 per cent.
Meanwhile, he outperforms Kante on tackles (2.9 to 2.8) and interceptions (1.6 to 1.0) and is vastly superior to the Kovacic in both of those metrics.
He typically outperforms outgoing Chelsea stars Mateo Kovacic (left) and N’Golo Kante (right)
The Frenchman’s energy and relentlessness help him edge Caicedo in the number of times possession is won (9.5 to 7.1), but that, along with chances created (2.3 to 1.2) are the only times out of the six measurements he outperforms the Brighton man.
With Kovacic, it is just the passes per 90 minutes (69.1 to 63.3) which are better.
Given the aforementioned recruits in attacking areas, along with strikers such as Victor Osimhen, Lautaro Martinez and Rasmus Hojlund among names linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, adding quality at the base of their midfield would make perfect sense.
With his impressive statistics, there is no doubt Caicedo would be a superb addition for either Chelsea or United.
Whoever does manage to prise the Ecuadorian away from Brighton will be bringing in a top quality player with plenty to give as both sides look to close the gap on Man City next season.