Chelsea: Moises Caicedo now in 'unfortunate' situation at Stamford Bridge

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·08 de setembro de 2023

Chelsea: Moises Caicedo now in 'unfortunate' situation at Stamford Bridge

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Chelsea star Moises Caicedo will be 'scrutinised' more often than he was at Brighton & Hove Albion after some worrying traits have already been spotted since his big-money arrival at Stamford Bridge, journalist Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.

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The Ecuador international was part of a spending spree worth close to £400million as head coach Mauricio Pochettino freshened up his Blues squad ahead of last week's transfer deadline.

Chelsea shattered the British record transfer fee when, according to Sky Sports, they spent £115million to lure Caicedo away from Premier League rivals Brighton during the final weeks of the summer window.

The west Londoners pounced after the defensive midfielder made it clear that he was only interested in heading to Stamford Bridge, resulting in him snubbing a move to Liverpool despite a £111million fee already being agreed.

Caicedo had been the subject of numerous bids from Chelsea before he eventually completed the switch to the capital, but the opening weeks of his stint in new surroundings have not gone to plan.

The 21-year-old's first outing for the Blues was described as a 'nightmare' by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher as he conceded a late penalty during the defeat to West Ham United last month.

Respected reporter Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that Caicedo's performances have been below par and included errors as his transfer fee potentially weighs heavily on his shoulders.

Following an underwhelming start to Pochettino's tenure, the South American has only tasted victory once - against newly-promoted Luton Town - over the course of his first three Premier League appearances in a Chelsea shirt.

What has Dean Jones said about Caicedo?

Jones is concerned that Caicedo has been failing to come away with the ball after competing in 50/50 challenges and also playing misplaced passes during the early stages of his Chelsea career.

The transfer insider has warned that the former Independiente del Valle talent will come under fire from supporters and pundits quickly as more is expected of him after the Blues splashed the cash.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

"There have been quite a few times when there have been 50/50 challenges that he's come second best on. There's been a couple of times when there have been loose balls he's been playing that you wouldn't expect from a player that's cost this much money. Unfortunately for him, he's going to be scrutinised in a different way now to how he ever was at Brighton. There were moments at Brighton where if he played a loose ball or a moment passed him by, you'd let it go. But that's not going to happen at Chelsea because of the intensity of the big spend that they've had and the expectation that there is for them to do something this season, whether it's top four or winning a trophy."

How does Caicedo compare to Kante?

Chelsea were desperate to fill the void left by N'Golo Kante as he opted against extending his stay at Chelsea in favour of a £86.2million-per-year contract with Saudi Arabian big-spenders Al-Ittihad, according to The Guardian, during the summer.

It brought the curtain down on the World Cup winner's Blues career, having made 269 appearances during his spell on the west Londoners' books.

Although Kante was one of the first names on the team-sheet when fully fit, following his £30million move from Leicester City, Caicedo could be seen as an upgrade.

The £150,000-per-week earner is 11 years Kante's junior, while his statistics from last season make for better reading.

FBref data highlights that Caicedo averaged more goals, tackles, interceptions and clearances per game - along with a better pass completion rate - than his fellow defensive midfielder last term.

What next for Chelsea?

Caicedo is in line to make his 49th Premier League appearance, according to Transfermarkt, as Chelsea head to the south coast to battle it out with Bournemouth when domestic action returns on September 17.

The Blues will be eager to get three points on the board as they are currently languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table, having recorded more defeats than wins.

Bournemouth have also struggled during the opening weeks of the Premier League campaign, despite spending more than £100million on reinforcements during the summer transfer window.

Cherries boss Andoni Iraola is still seeking his first top flight win at the helm, having been appointed as Gary O'Neil's successor during the summer, and Pochettino will be seeing the trip to the Vitality Stadium as the perfect opportunity to get Chelsea's season up-and-running.

Testing clashes against Aston Villa and Brighton, with the latter being in the third round of the Carabao Cup, are still to come before the end of the month as well.