How Arsenal would line up with £75m Caicedo

Stuart Telford

• 26 Jan 2023 09:23 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Brighton's Moises Caicedo. How would the Gunners line up with the Ecuadorean in their ranks?

Arsenal are set to go head-to-head with Chelsea for the midfielder, who is rated at £75 million (€85m) by his club.

Injury to Mohamed Elneny means the Gunners are pretty light in central midfield behind Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka, and it is a position they are keen to bolster.

READ: Arsenal eye £50m midfielder after Elneny injury blow

Arsenal would dearly love to beat Chelsea to Caicedo's signature after being usurped by the Blues in the race for Mykhailo Mudryk. How would they line up if they did?

Caicedo is a right-footed box-to-box midfielder who generally plays as one of two double pivots under Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton but is capable of playing higher up the pitch when asked to.

Caicedo and Partey having a party?

Arsenal have moved to a 4-3-3 under Arteta this season, meanwhile, meaning Caicedo likely wouldn't have to be the last line of defence before the back four, with that role going to Partey.

READ: Brighton in talks to sign Caicedo replacement

Xhaka would be the most likely to make way, even if he has looked rejuvenated playing to Partey's left, chipping in with three goals and five assists in the current Premier League campaign.

With Brighton determined not to lose Caicedo in the winter transfer window, any move would likely have to wait until the summer, by which time Gabriel Jesus should have recovered to lead the line - as admirable a job as Eddie Nketiah is doing in his injury-enforced absence.

Further back, the Gunners defence could hardly look more settled, but Oleksandr Zinchenko's adaptation since arriving from Manchester City last summer means that the most likely transfer out next is fellow left-back Kieran Tierney.