It was during negotiations for the £107million signing of Enzo Fernandez in January that Chelsea identified Moises Caicedo as their next target to help complete their midfield overhaul.
They believed Fernandez needed a physical player alongside him to help Argentina’s World Cup winner flourish at Stamford Bridge.
After Caicedo completed his £115m move from Brighton last night, head coach Mauricio Pochettino now has the two most expensive players in British football history at the heart of his team.
Chelsea hope it will be a midfield partnership for the next decade and are confident Fernandez, 22, and Caicedo, 21, can help them conquer the Premier League and Europe.
Southampton’s Romeo Lavia could be the next big-money midfielder to join Chelsea, and his arrival could see Fernandez pushed into a No10 role, having excelled further forward in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool.
Chelsea were the only club to prioritise Caicedo from the start of the transfer window. Their first bid for the Ecuador international was £60m. They have ended up paying almost double their original offer, and for a player who Brighton signed for just £4m in February 2021.
But Chelsea were prepared to go big to make the Caicedo transfer happen because they believe he is a perfect foil for Fernandez. They had inside knowledge about his assets through sporting director Paul Winstanley, who signed him at Brighton and has watched his adaptation to English football closely. Winstanley believes Caicedo can give Chelsea what they are lacking.
He had a 78.1 per cent tackle success rate and made 100 tackles in the League last season, bettered only by Fulham’s Joao Palhinha. At just 5ft 10in, he also won 63.8 per cent of his aerial duels.
He has said he “learned how to play hard” growing up in a run-down corner of Santo Domingo, in the foothills of the Andes mountains, in northern Ecuador. The youngest of 10 siblings and a childhood Chelsea fan, as a teenager he watched videos of Claude Makelele and N’Golo Kante online, studying their positional play and ability in recovering possession.
But Caicedo is not just a midfield destroyer. He brings a level of technical ability you would expect from the third-most expensive player of all-time after Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
“Moises possesses a rare midfield skill-set and is a player we’ve been targeting for some time,” Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Winstanley said in a statement. “We believe he will make a significant impact at Stamford Bridge this season — and in the years ahead.
“He has proved himself as a standout player in European football over the past 18 months, and we are thrilled to add him to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.”
Chelsea are expected to keep Andrey Santos in their squad as midfield cover, but Lesley Ugochukwu and Carney Chukwuemeka could both now leave on loan. Conor Gallagher is keen to fight for his place, even as Chelsea attempt to sell him to help balance the books.
Caicedo said: “When I was a kid, I supported Chelsea and used to watch the games. Now it is amazing to be here. It is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I can’t wait to start with the guys, to give my best and to write my own story.”
