€100m midfielder 'dreams' of replacing Kante at Chelsea
FT Desk
- 18 Sept 2022 13:25 BST
- 3 min read
N'Golo Kante is increasingly injured for Chelsea, and new manager Graham Potter could have a ready-made replacement from his former club, Brighton…
The path from Brighton to Chelsea is becoming increasingly well-trodden.
Marc Cucurella became the most expensive left-back of all time when swapped the Falmer Stadium for Stamford Bridge in a £62m/€71.4m deal in August, and he was followed to the London club by Potter, who replaced Thomas Tuchel as manager for £22m/€25.3m in September.
Moises Caicedo is sooooo good. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RoktkRpk0b
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 1, 2022
Billy Gilmour also went the opposite way this summer for £9m/€10.4m - a bittersweet deal for the Scot after Potter left Brighton, but also something of a surprise one with Jorginho out of contract next summer and Kante increasingly injured at 31.
But Moises Caicedo could prove to be a long-term solution in central midfield for Chelsea, and the Ecuador international would be willing to make the move.
Caicedo: 'a dream to succeed there'
"It made me very sad now that [Potter] left for Chelsea, because he helped me a lot and I wanted to continue having him as a manager, but that's football," he told Argentine sports daily, Olé.
"You never know, today you can be here and tomorrow somewhere else, that's the job of a footballer and a coach. At Brighton he worked very well, and people love him very much. I'm very happy for him and for the great opportunity that was presented to him.
"Right now, I'm very focused on Brighton and the World Cup. I want to have a great World Cup and then we'll see what happens.
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"I think they are one of the best teams in the world and nobody would turn down an offer from Chelsea or any other club like that. It'd be a dream to be in the best teams in the world and succeed there."
The 20-year-old Caicedo cost Brighton just €5.2m when he joined from Independiente del Valle in February 2021, but Potter conceded when still the Seagulls manager that the club would now want 20 times that fee.
