Moises Caicedo: Why Chelsea are spending up to British record £115m on Brighton midfielder

Moises Caicedo is successful request this summertime aft conscionable 1 afloat Premier League season

When Moises Caicedo joined Brighton from Independiente del Valle for £4m astatine the extremity of the 2021 January transportation window, it hardly made a ripple. His latest determination is making a acold bigger splash.

Amid fierce competition, Chelsea person signed him for an archetypal £100m fee from the Seagulls, apt rising to a British grounds of £115m for the subordinate to articulation a midfield they person lavishly remodelled this summer.

BBC Sport looks astatine what has prompted the Blues to portion with specified a immense interest for a young subordinate and wherever helium volition acceptable successful to Mauricio Pochettino's broadside this season.

Eased successful earlier becoming elite

The bulk of Moises Caicedo's touches past play were successful the bosom of midfield

Caicedo didn't really play astatine each successful the English apical formation successful his archetypal run and past spent the archetypal fractional of the 2021-22 play connected indebtedness with Beerschot successful Belgium earlier being recalled successful January due to the fact that of injuries to different Albion midfielders.

He made his Premier League debut successful April 2022, successful a 2-1 triumph astatine Arsenal. Operating successful a midfield trio with Yves Bissouma and Enock Mwepu - whom helium assisted to people their important 2nd extremity - Caicedo deed the crushed running.

It indispensable person made a lasting content due to the fact that 9 months aboriginal the Gunners made 2 bids for the player, the archetypal reported to beryllium £60m, the 2nd £10m higher. Both were rejected, the 2nd prompting the subordinate to pass Brighton successful an unfastened missive helium wanted to permission earlier signing a caller deal.

Now, a fewer months on, with him having played 53 times for Brighton, helium is valued astatine £45m more. But why?

He is simply a cardinal midfielder by trade, and played further backmost successful a holding midfielder relation erstwhile Roberto de Zerbi replaced Graham Potter arsenic manager past September. He besides featured astatine right-back connected a fistful of occasions, astir notably successful the 1-0 location triumph implicit Manchester United successful May.

He ranked highly among Premier League players successful respective metrics past season.

His 100 tackles was beneath lone Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, portion lone Declan Rice - past of West Ham and present Arsenal - made much interceptions than Caicedo's 56.

He is not conscionable a destructive unit either. He ranked seventh for passes (2,209), sixth for palmy passes (1,961) and eighth for touches (2,735) past season.

And helium knows however to transmission that possession effectively.

According to Opta, helium broke up play and launched attacks that were worthy 5.10 expected goals. Only Rodri (with 5.89) bettered this.

His robustness is besides a plus. Only 2 players - Pascal Gross and Lewis Dunk - played much minutes than his 3,140 for Brighton past season, with the Ecuadorian featured successful each but 1 Premier League lucifer arsenic the Seagulls recorded their highest top-flight finish.

"I deliberation that tin beryllium the past crippled of Alexis [Mac Allister] and Moises, I'm truly sorry," said De Zerbi aft Brighton's last crippled of the season.

"They tin play successful each contention and are acceptable to vie for a large squad and I anticipation for them they tin play successful the champion squad successful the world."

Caicedo was astir progressive successful the abstraction successful beforehand of his ain punishment area

Where does Caicedo acceptable successful new-look Chelsea midfield?

Chelsea besides tried to motion Caicedo successful January, reportedly having a £55m bid rejected, erstwhile Potter - the manager who brought him to England - was successful charge.

There has been a batch of midfield changes astatine Stamford Bridge this summertime nether caller brag Pochettino.

They person sold Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City for £30m, Mason Mount has joined Manchester United and attacking midfielder Kai Havertz has moved to Arsenal.

Meanwhile, N'Golo Kante near to articulation Al-Ittihad arsenic a escaped agent, Denis Zakaria's indebtedness spell from Juventus is implicit and Ruben Loftus-Cheek has joined AC Milan.

Caicedo volition apt diagnostic alongside £107m signing Enzo Fernandez successful the Blues midfield, with Conor Gallagher besides an option.

Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez volition beryllium team-mates this season

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