Why Chelsea have splashed the cash on Moises Caicedo

When Brighton bought Moises Caicedo in January 2021 they overcame the main obstacle that was preventing European clubs from signing the Ecuadorian - he was represented by three different agents.

The Seagulls had already bought a player from his first club Independiente del Valle and were able to use that relationship to determine which agent to deal with.

Now they have pocketed a British record transfer fee of £115 million from Chelsea for the player a little over 18 months later.

After just 45 Premier League appearances the Ecuadorian is now one of the most expensive players in the history of the game.

So why have the Blues shelled out so much for the 21-year-old, who made his English top-flight debut in April 2022?

In a general sense, the position that Caicedo plays has become increasingly valuable in recent years.

Tactically, teams are committing more and more players to attacking and counter-pressing, meaning that they can be exposed in transition if they lose the ball high up the pitch.

A strong defender of the counter-attack has become a prized commodity and Liverpool’s issues on that front were the main reason for their decline last season.

It is not an exaggeration to say that this has been the year of the central defensive midfielder in the transfer market.

While in the past forwards would have commanded huge fees, 2023 has seen Enzo Fernandez move to Chelsea for a then-British record £106.8 million before Declan Rice transferred to Arsenal for £100 million.

Caicedo has followed and broken the records once again.

The former Brighton midfielder excelled for Roberto De Zerbi’s side last season, ranking second in the league for both tackles and interceptions. 

However the reason that Chelsea are spending such a sum on the South American is that he is also very strong on the ball.

He ranked in the Premier League top ten for passes attempted (2,251), passes completed (1,993) and touches (2,603). 

Statistically, Caicedo had better figures for tackles and interceptions than former Chelsea midfielders Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante as well as potential new teammate Romeo Lavia, while simultaneously having broadly similar on-the-ball statistics to Kovacic, who is widely considered one of the best in the world in his position with the ball at his feet.  

Caicedo was also much more aerially dominant than the other three, winning almost 15 per cent more headers than the next best.

Alongside Enzo Fernandez, who put in a man-of-the-match performance in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool, their new midfielder could flourish.

In the modern game, defensive midfielders are increasingly expected to do it all. Chelsea might just have broken the bank on one who can.

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