Unless you’re living under a rock with no access to internet, cable TV or social media, you must have known that Arsenal placed of £70 million for Moises Caicedo in January 2023, which was rejected by Brighton.

Arsenal had just signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton, after the failed pursuit of Mykhailo Mudryk, and it was a bit messy for Brighton when you consider that Trossard’s agent went online to air their dirty laundry in public, following Roberto de Zerbi’s decision to relegate Trossard to the bench with the emergence of Kaoru Mitoma. With Trossard joining the Gunners in the winter transfer window, and Thomas Partey suffering an injury scare in the FA Cup defeat to Manchester City, Mikel Arteta knew that he needed adequate defensive cover to cope for Partey’s absence from the team, with Mohamed Elneny out for the rest of the campaign following knee surgery.

Caicedo was identified as the target and Edu Gaspar put in the work to seal the deal for the Ecuadorian lynchpin, but despite Arsenal’s attempts, Brighton played hard ball. Caicedo then tried to pull a Trossard to seek a move away but Brighton didn’t bulge as they weren’t prepared to lose two key players in the same window, with the club aiming for a Europa League finish. Mitoma’s presence and performances clearly eased the blow of losing an important player like Trossard, but Caicedo didn’t have a quality backup they could get off the shelf, and his performances in midfield were vital to their style of play.

We all know how the story panned out – Arsenal shifted their focus to Jorginho on the deadline day of the transfer window, while Caicedo signed a new long term deal, was given some time to blow off some steam following the botched transfer, returned to the team and focused on his football, helping his side to a sixth place finish with some dominant displays as a No. 6. With the summer around the corner, it was evident that Brighton are prepared to sell Caicedo, but only to the highest bidder and at the right price.

Despite Arsenal’s clear pursuit and acquisition of Declan Rice, Caicedo still remained on the club’s radar, as the future of Partey still hangs in the balance. If you want to believe everything these tabloids write, there is some pressure from a couple of teams in the emerging Saudi Pro League to sign the Ghanaian midfielder, and there has also been some links from Juventus as well. Partey is in his 30’s and has two years left on his Arsenal contract, and moving to Saudi Arabia will offer him the chance to make some cool cash as he reaches his twilight years. The level of football there will not be as grueling as the Premier League, so he will have some fun, as well as popularity among his teammates and fans alike, while making a boatload of cash – what’s not to like about that?

Partey’s potential exit could see Arsenal go into the transfer market to sign a new defensive midfielder, and even though Romeo Lavia has been labeled as the potential replacement for Partey, Caicedo still remains in Arsenal’s radar. The player himself has been hoping for an exit this summer, and Chelsea has emerged as the new suitors for the midfielder, making a bid of £70 million that has been rejected by Brighton. Chelsea’s bid was £70 million sent upfront without any add-ons, and it comes as no surprise, with the club making well over £220 million from player sales this summer. This is actually Chelsea’s second bid for Caicedo, as the Seagulls rejected the initial bid of £60 million early last month. Brighton is also at loggerheads with Chelsea over the potential transfer for Levi Colwill, whose £30 million offer from Brighton was rejected by Chelsea but the chances of getting the young defender to de Zerbi’s side are very unlikely, following the injuries to Beniot Badiashile and Wesley Fofana.

It is believed that Caicedo was promised a summer move by the Brighton hierarchy, provided the transfer fee was right, but with £70 million not even enough to secure his services, what does the future hold for the midfielder? Brighton has priced him at a whopping £100 million and it’s unlikely that any team might pay such an outstanding amount for the midfielder, especially Arsenal, that just coughed out £105 million for Rice.

But why is Caicedo prized so highly? I used the amazing Squawka comparison matrix to compare Caicedo with the leading defensive midfielders in the Premier League last season – Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, Rodrigo and Casemiro.

The first set of stats showed their total numbers for the entire Premier League campaign but its slightly skewed, as Rice and Caicedo played more games than the other three.

Then I changed the stats to “per 90”, and the outlook changed.

All five midfielders have elite numbers, but Caicedo edges out the competition with chances created and ground duels won, which is very impressive. He is also high up on the list with tackles made and ground duels contested, only eclipsed by Casemiro’s monster numbers in that category. Caicedo is also the youngest on this list, which evidently means that he has room to further improve, making him such an amazing asset to own.

He will certainly leave Brighton in the foreseeable future, and the club will source for a good replacement for him due to their excellent scouting system, as he was a replacement for the great Yves Bissouma, that left consistent football to become bench fodder at Tottenham.

Sayonara.

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