Chelsea could be the club that land Moises Caicedo this summer transfer window, with Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg reporting that the player has decided to join the Blues.
How good is Moises Caicedo?
The midfielder has really caught the eye in the Premier League over the course of the 2022/23 season, with his performances for Brighton helping them secure European football. He was only handed his first-team debut at the club in 2021/22 and was allowed on to the field in the top flight just eight times during that campaign. However, this year he has really burst onto the scene and become a first-team regular, playing on 37 occasions for them and bagging one goal and one assist.
The fact that he missed only one game shows how invaluable he became to the Seagulls, and when you compare his performances to other players in his position amongst the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues in Europe, it also shows how far the 21-year-old has come. With an 88.5% pass completion rate, it means that he ranks within the top six percent for that figure, and his 1.61 interceptions per 90 also puts him within the 89th percentile for that too. It shows that not only is he adept at finding teammates and has superb vision but isn't afraid to get back and do the hard graft either, using that vision to stop opposition attacks.
It's led to plenty of interest in the player this transfer window, with some reports suggesting that Arsenal were leading the race for his signature. However, a new report suggests otherwise.
That's because according to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, Caicedo has decided to make the move to Chelsea, and it means that the club are now likely to get a deal done for the midfielder, with a "final" round of negotiations to go ahead for the central player. No fee is mentioned by the journalist but it's previously been implied that a deal could cost about £80m in total.
The Sky journalist said: "News Caicedo: He has decided to join Chelsea. Final negotiations now…"
Should Chelsea sign Caicedo?
The 21-year-old is considering a big talent by those who have watched him in football. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig for example claimed that Caicedo is "simply superb," most notably after two games against Manchester United in 2022, which he described as a "masterclass" from the midfielder.
Whilst not a player who can offer too much offensively, his work-rate in terms of protecting the defence and marshalling the midfield is statistically one of the best around. Aside from his interception rate, he has also managed 2.87 tackles per 90 which puts him in the top 13% for that figure and also has 6.28 progressive passes per 90, putting him in the 74% percentile there.
He would certainly shore up the Chelsea midfield then and Mauricio Pochettino would no doubt be delighted if he can now get a deal done for the youngster.