Five CHEAPER alternatives to Caicedo for Chelsea

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 28 Jul 2023 06:13 CDT
• 6 min read

Chelsea have been chasing Moises Caicedo for the entirety of the summer window so far, and have seemingly dedicated all their attention to landing the Ecuador international.

However, weeks of negotiations with Brighton & Hove Albion have ultimately led nowhere.

The Seagulls are shrewd sellers, some would argue the best in the business, and they know Chelsea are desperate to land their star. The problem for both Chelsea and Caicedo is that he signed a contract extension at the AMEX Stadium in March.

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After being denied a move to Arsenal in January, Caicedo was reportedly told he could leave if an acceptable offer came in during the summer window. He then signed a new deal, and Brighton have now priced him at €115 million (£100m).

Chelsea have already shown they are willing to pay this much for a central midfielder with relatively little experience in Europe - as seen with their purchase of Enzo Fernandez - and Arsenal have demonstrated how much it costs to sign a proven, elite Premier League midfielder this summer; they purchased Declan Rice for €116.6m (£105m) earlier this window.

Furthermore, Brighton are not willing to budge from their valuation of Caicedo unless Chelsea include Levi Colwill in the deal - something the Blues will not do.

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The west London club have already felt the effects of keeping hold of Colwill permanently - they spent over-the-odds to sign Marc Cucurella last year, in order to loan Colwill to Brighton rather than sell him.

But Colwill is a generational talent and Chelsea know that. The problem is, Brighton simply don’t need to sell Caicedo unless their asking price is met.

Since 2021, the Seagulls have spent €136m on transfers, but have earned a whopping €260m from sales during that time, meaning they are in huge profit over the past three years. FFP isn’t an issue and Caicedo has a contract until 2027, while the club also has the option to extend that by a further 12 months.

Chelsea have lodged four separate bids for Caicedo so far this summer - the latest being €94m (£80m) - but the Blues must know that Brighton will not sell unless they cough up €20m more.

Caicedo is a world-class talent and his current level is also elite, but Chelsea may be forced to look elsewhere due to Brighton’s asking price. In addition, moving away from Caicedo would finally show that Chelsea have some restraint when it comes to extortionate prices, something they haven’t yet shown under Todd Boehly.

While Caicedo is the best option for Chelsea, here are five cheaper alternatives, with a 90% similarity to the Ecuadorian using SciSports’ algorithm, the Blues could look to.

Romeo Lavia (Southampton)

The first option is a player that’s been on Chelsea’s radar since last summer, with the Blues offering a ridiculous €58m (£50m) on Deadline Day last summer, despite the fact he’d joined Southampton for less than €20m earlier that same window.

However, following their relegation, Southampton would reportedly now accept that offer. Liverpool are currently leading the race, but Chelsea are ready to hijack their bid to sign him, according to Ben Jacobs.

According to SciSports data, Lavia has the potential to become a ‘key player’ at Chelsea and, like Caicedo, he stands out for recoveries. Lavia also ranks highly for ‘counter-pressing’, which would suit Mauricio Pochettino’s style of play to a tee.

His ETV remains €20.3m due to the fact he only has one season of top flight football under his belt, but €58m would still represent half the cost of Caicedo.

Youssouf Fofana (AS Monaco)

The next player is Youssouf Fofana of AS Monaco fame. The Frenchman didn’t receive the praise he deserved when Aurelien Tchouameni was next to him in midfield, but he has been a reliable presence in Ligue 1 for several years.

The France international currently has an ETV of €27.7m and has the potential to become a ‘key player’ at Chelsea, like Lavia.

Using SciSports’ playing style tool, Fofana stands out as a deep-lying playmaker, while he ranks very highly for dribbles. His passing ability is lower than Caicedo’s, but Enzo Fernandez’s presence means that may not matter too much.

Mohamed Camara (AS Monaco)

The next option is Fofana’s midfield partner at Monaco, Mohamed Camara, who profiles more as a ‘ball-winning midfielder’ than his club team-mate.

Camara specialises in ball retention, pressing and prevention and his ETV of €22.9m means he would be an attainable asset for Chelsea to pursue. He’s not quite as well-rounded as Fofana, but would provide a good shield for Enzo to advance into forward areas.

Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen)

Bayer Leverkusen’s Exequiel Palacios is another option Chelsea could consider thanks to his suitability to play next to Enzo. Firstly, he’s Argentine so the language issue wouldn’t be a factor with the former Benfica man, and he’s a brilliant central midfielder.

Palacios profiles mostly as a ‘holding midfielder’ according to SciSports’ playing style feature, which would perfectly suit Pochettino’s system as it would allow Enzo to move forward to display his passing range and vision.

His best attributes are all defensive - such as recoveries, defensive positioning, clearances, interceptions and counter-pressing - while his weaknesses are Enzo strengths: passes in and around the penalty area and long distance shooting.

With a €19.6m ETV, Palacios would be the perfect cheap alternative to Caicedo.

Lesley Ugochukwu (Rennes)

The final suggestion, using SciSports’ algorithm, is Stade Rennais midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu.

The teenager has been linked with an exit this summer following the club’s purchase of Enzo Le Fee and his ETV of just €11.9m is certainly intriguing.

SciSports say Ugochukwu would be a ‘hot prospect’ for Chelsea, while his profile suggests he’s best suited to playing as a ball-winning midfielder. The Rennes man specialises in pressing, ball retention and crossing, and he ranks highly for tackles and power.

All five options would represent bargain deals when considering Brighton’s asking price for Caicedo, and would also allow the likes of Andrey Santos, Cesare Casadei, Carney Chukwuemeka and even Lewis Hall the chance to shine for the Chelsea first-team too.