How Chelsea will line up with Moises Caicedo

Cameron Smith

• 14 Aug 2023 18:54 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea have finally completed the signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton for a British transfer record fee of £115 million.

The two clubs have a history of discussions - Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor, Paul Winstanley and Marc Cucurella were among the gaggle of Brighton employees/players to jump over to Stamford Bridge in 2022, while Levi Colwill went the other way on loan.

But, months of talks regarding a possible move for Caicedo initially yielded no fruit for Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino. The 21-year-old is seen as the ideal summer transfer target and the perfect player to sit next to Enzo Fernandez in Pochettino’s double pivot, but the club had not been able to strike a deal until now

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Brighton had initially set an asking price of £100 million for their talismanic midfielder but Chelsea were only willing to bid up to £80m, prompting a number of bids to be rejected.

The Blues thought they had the luxury of quiet negotiations for Caicedo but Liverpool made a stunning £110m approach for the Ecuadorian, throwing Chelsea's plans into panic.

However, Chelsea, who had agreed personal terms with Caicedo in June, were informed that the player preferred to move to Stamford Bridge, prompting the club to better Liverpool's bid and submit a proposal of £115m including add-ons.

With Chelsea having finally got their man, how will Pochettino line up his side with the most expensive signing in English football history?

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Chelsea’s XI with Caicedo

Kepa Arrizabalaga was expecting to be Chelsea's number one under Pochettino but he joined Real Madrid on loan to replace the injured Thibaut Courtois, meaning Robert Sanchez – another summer arrival from Brighton – will be the man in goal for the season.

Reece James now has cover from Malo Gusto in case of injury, but he will keep his berth at right-back. The same can be said for Ben Chilwell on the left, who will be first-choice but has Marc Cucurella as his back-up.

Wesley Fofana’s ACL injury has ruled him out until 2024 and therefore Thiago Silva will likely be the one turned to on the right of the centre-back pairing, with Levi Colwill on the left.

Caicedo will partner Enzo, with that pair providing a nice balance of defensive discipline, press-resistance and passing range. Christopher Nkunku could be used as a central striker by Pochettino, but he looks perfectly suited to be deployed in a similar role to the one Dele performed at Spurs, although the Frenchman will face some months on the sideline after picking up an injury in pre-season.

Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling is the most likely wing combination, although Noni Madueke will see considerable minutes on the right, while summer signing Nicolas Jackson will lead the line.