Chelsea began their summer by offloading a lot of players in order to comply with the financial fair play rules, but now, Mauricio Pochettino is aiming to utilise the funds raised from these departures to strengthen his team.
So far, there have been seven new arrivals, however, the Blues are intending to add more before the transfer window shuts in a few weeks.
With this in mind, they appear to be getting ready to make another bid for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo in the coming days.
How many bids have Chelsea made for Moises Caicedo?
Chelsea made a £70m bid for the player in July, which was swiftly rejected by the South Coast side as they valued him at around £100m.
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A second bid of £80m was also kicked out by the Premier League side according to Fabrizio Romano and it appeared as though their pursuit of the 21-year-old was proving futile.
According to The Telegraph, Pochettino is looking set to prepare another bid for Caicedo, and he will be hoping it is third time lucky in their bid to finally secure the services of the youngster.
Capturing the £60k-per-week starlet would certainly signal a big statement of intent by the club, especially considering they don’t have any European football to play during the upcoming season.
How good is Moises Caicedo?
The Ecuadorian has certainly earned his stripes over the previous 18 months and last term, in particular, saw him excel in the middle of the pitch.
He completed 2209 passes during the 2022/23 Premier League season, ranking him seventh across the whole competition, while he also ranked second for tackles, making 100 over the 38 matches.
This tenacious nature and wonderful ability to dictate the play could allow someone like Christopher Nkunku to shine, knowing he has more freedom to push forward often.
The Frenchman ranks in the top 10% when compared to positional peers for progressive passes received per 90 (8.31), suggesting he could benefit from Caicedo’s passing quality, while he also ranks in the top 6% for shot-creating actions per 90 (4.28), which clearly indicate that he is a dangerous threat in the final third.
The former RB Leipzig star has shown his attacking qualities over the previous two seasons, scoring 58 goals, and grabbing 29 assists during that time period. Pochettino will be hoping he can replicate this sort of form at Stamford Bridge and signing Caicedo could unlock him against Premier League defences.
The Brighton gem, lauded as a “machine man” by talent scout Jacek Kulig in 2022, can use his relentless energy to sweep up every ball in the middle of the pitch and thread them through to Nkunku, who judging by his recent statistics, would have a solid chance of scoring or setting up a teammate.
Tim Vickery also hailed him as “strong, quick, intelligent, and cool. He really does look like the genuine article." And he could light up this Chelsea side.
Chelsea netted just 38 league goals last term and this was a key area of improvement this summer. With Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson leading their attack, there is no doubt the Blues will net more than during 2023/24.
Caicedo could be the most important signing of the lot, as the Ecuadorian would act as a fulcrum in the heart of the Chelsea midfield, benefitting both the defence and attack in equal measure.
