Maresca hails “fantastic” Chelsea star as the “perfect” player for a coach, and it’s not who you think it is | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has hailed Moises Caicedo as the “perfect” player for a coach and pointed out the positive influence he has on his team-mates.

The Blues shelled out a British record £115m to sign the Ecuador international from Brighton in the summer of 2023 after a prolonged transfer saga.

Caicedo endured a difficult start to life at Stamford Bridge, but started to find his feet in the second half of the campaign, scoring a goal of the season contender against Bournemouth on the final day.

Maresca hails Caicedo as “perfect” player for a coach

The 23-year-old has gone up a level this season and has shown real signs of improvement under Maresca, and he’s delivered top performances on a consistent basis.

Caicedo has arguably been the best midfielder in the Premier League this campaign, and whilst Cole Palmer will get the headlines, former Blue Jason Cundy believes Caicedo is actually Chelsea’s most important player.

The Ecuadorian has excelled whether he’s played alongside Romeo Laiva or Enzo Fernandez and is probably the player Chelsea can least afford to be without.

Caicedo has been in outstanding form for Chelsea this season. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

It’s easy to forget how young Caicedo is, and it’s just his second season at Stamford Bridge, with it clear there’s so much room for improvement.

Maresca has been speaking about the midfielder and explained why it’s such a pleasure to work with him, and the positive influence he has on his team-mates.

“Since we started he has been doing fantastic in all aspects,” Maresca told Chelsea’s website.

“He’s improving a lot, he’s understanding the game, he’s going in different positions and he’s open-minded. He’s a good guy, he’s humble, he works hard, so for a coach he is the perfect player.

“The good thing about Moi is whoever is playing next to Moi is playing good. When you find a player like Moi that makes the players next to them better, it shows how good they are.

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“All the players that have played next to Moi this season – Enzo [Fernandez], Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall], Romeo [Lavia], Renato [Veiga] when he was with us, they are doing well and it is probably because the one next to them is good and helps them on the pitch.

“So Moi is a fantastic player, not just because of him, but also because he is making the rest better.”