Arsenal are interested in Moises Caicedo this summer, but will face competition from Manchester United and West Ham United who also want the in-form Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder.
The Gunners are looking at a move for Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans but the negotiations have dragged on for a long time, without any relevant outcome.
Meanwhile, Caicedo’s impressive form for club and country has made him a transfer target for many clubs, especially after a solid performance in Brighton’s 2-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in the opening weekend of the Premier League.
Caicedo bossed the United midfield as he made sure the Seagulls didn’t feel the absence of Yves Bissouma, who joined Tottenham Hotspur this summer. Brighton have been stringent while letting the players go, especially those on long contracts and so, Arsenal will have to shell out a good chunk of money.
Manchester United have also Moises Caicedo’s name in the list as one of many options for the midfield, as revealed today on HWG podcast. 🚨🔴 #MUFC
Brighton want to keep Caicedo so not an easy deal, in case Man Utd will decide to proceed.
More: https://t.co/1u21npzwpn pic.twitter.com/Pnuyhl1puw
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 16, 2022
Player Profile
The Seagulls only paid £4.5 million for the Ecuador international, beating a host of high-profile clubs to sign Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle. Despite impressing Graham Potter, Brighton chiefs felt Caicedo needed more experience before getting exposed to the Premier League.
The midfielder spent the first half of last season on loan at Beerschot in Belgium. He made 14 appearances for the club, registering two goals and one assist (stats via transfermarkt), before returning to his parent club. Caicedo soon began to make his mark at Brighton and got his first goal for the Seagulls in a famous 4-0 win over Manchester United towards the end of last season.
Caicedo’s attributes on the left-hand side of the double pivot, both on and off the ball, were showcased at Old Trafford. He combined with Pascal Gross down the left for both of the German’s well-crafted goals.
Data from Fbref showed Caicedo ranked highly in possession, with 29 completed passes out of 36, ahead of partner Alexis Mac Allister (26 of 31) and only behind Adam Lallana (34 of 39).
Caicedo is a versatile player with significant physical and technical potential. He is tactically astute for his age, full of confidence, and is willing to take the initiative with the ball and also make himself available as a passing option. The breadth of his talent means he can play in a variety of different midfield roles, but he is best as either the defensive midfielder or a number eight.
Statistically, there are quite a few interesting numbers from Caicedo’s career so far. The first one is his pass completion rate. Moises Caicedo has averaged a pass success rate of 92.08% in his career so far, averaging just over 46 passes per 90 minutes.
Thus, we can see that even when he is passing forward, Caicedo is allowing his team to keep possession, which is a very important trait for a defensive midfielder. The defensive midfielder gets the ball into relatively dangerous areas from his deeper midfield position fairly often, and quite accurately as well.
Thus, it is evident from these numbers that Caicedo’s role so far in his career, both for Independiente and Ecuador, has been to facilitate play and retain possession, rather than providing a direct creative threat.
Brighton’s Premier League record since Moises Caicedo first came into the starting XI:
9 games
6 wins
2 draws
1 loss – Man City (A)
18 goals scored
9 goals concededHe’s started every single game since his debut. 20 years old & an absolute game changer. #BHAFC 🔵🇪🇨 pic.twitter.com/WsFM8uC5IB
— Charlie Haffenden (@JournoHaff) August 13, 2022
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Verdict
Arsenal missed out on the signing of Yves Bissouma who Tottenham were able to snap up early in the window for an initial £25 million fee. As Caicedo could cost in the region of £20m-30m, Brighton are set to make a profit on another talented player.
Caicedo has become a significant part of the young Ecuador side which coach Gustavo Alfaro will lead in the Qatar World Cup this November after they finished fourth in CONMEBOL qualifying.
The 20-year-old is a versatile midfielder and is regarded by many as ‘the next N’golo Kante’ due to his agile playing style. Caicedo would be a promising signing and could develop into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
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