De Zerbi pushes Caicedo closer to Arsenal or Chelsea

Carlo Garganese

• 29 Jan 2023 16:20 GMT
• 4 min read

Brighton’s win against Liverpool and Roberto De Zerbi’s pre-match comments have pushed Moises Caicedo closer to Arsenal or Chelsea this month.

Both London sides have put bids in for the Ecuador midfielder and are desperate to bring him to their clubs before the January transfer window closes.

Until now, Brighton have rejected all offers as they would like to keep him until the end of the season.

Premier League 2022/23 January transfers: All the Done Deals

Caicedo hit the headlines ahead of Sunday’s home FA Cup tie against Liverpool by publicly requesting that he is allowed to leave.

"I am grateful to Mr. Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best for them," he said on social media. "I always play football with a smile and with heart.

"I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador. My dream always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador.

READ: How Arsenal would line up with £75m Caicedo

"I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.

"The fans have taken me into their hearts, and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity."

This led to Brighton dropping Caicedo from the squad to play against Liverpool.

Ahead of the game, De Zerbi refused to rule out a departure for Caicedo.

What did De Zerbi say

“Moises is a good guy, we will see tomorrow and the next days what happens,” De Zerbi told ITV.

“We hope he will stay with us until the end of the season but this is a question for the club and Moises.”

Despite being without Caicedo, De Zerbi still managed to mastermind yet another hugely impressive win for Brighton as they defeated Liverpool 2-1.

Kaoru Mitoma scored a brilliant 89th minute winner after Lewis Dunk had equalised Harvey Elliott’s opener in another impressive Brighton performance.

Brighton have enjoyed a string of high-profile wins under De Zerbi, including thrashing Liverpool 3-0, Chelsea 4-1 and knocking Arsenal out of the League Cup.

And by beating Liverpool without Caicedo, De Zerbi may have pushed the player closer to the exit door by demonstrating that Brighton can still succeed without him.

Brighton are currently sixth in the Premier League and are looking good for European qualification next season.