Moises Caicedo: £115M Star Explains the Difference Between Chelsea and Brighton

Moises Caicedo: £115M Star Explains the Difference Between Chelsea and Brighton

Elijah Odetokun
July 8, 2024 at 10:04 AM
In this article:
Moises Caicedo logo
M.Caicedo
Chelsea logoMEcuador logo
Chelsea logo
Chelsea
England
61
Brighton Hove Albion logo
Brighton Hove Albion
England
55
M. Pochettino
-DArgentina logo
R. D. Zerbi
-MItaly logo
  • Chelsea splashed £115 million to sign midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion last summer
  • The British transfer record holder initially struggled to settle in at Stamford Bridge but got better as the season progressed
  • The Ecuadorian midfielder has opened up on the difference between the tactical approach at Brighton and Chelsea

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Moises Caicedo has been talking big recently. He appears to have criticised Chelsea's tactical approach for his early struggles and compared it to what he knew at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Chelsea paid £115 million to make the midfielder the British record transfer signing from Brighton last summer after months of negotiations with the Seagulls.

Moises Caicedo, Chelsea, AFC Bournemouth, Stamford Bridge, London, England, Premier League.
Moises Caicedo prays after scoring his first goal during Chelsea's 2-1 win over AFC Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on May 19, 2024. Photo by Stephanie Meek.
Source: Getty Images

According to The Athletic, the Blues hesitated to meet Brighton’s valuation until Liverpool stepped in with a £111mil, but the player had his mind set on moving to London.

Caicedo compares Chelsea to Brighton

The midfielder started slowly at Chelsea and committed a penalty in the 3-1 loss to West Ham, which caused his fans and rivals to subject him to trolls in the stadium and on social media.

The Ecuadorian overcame his initial struggle and ended the season strongly, scoring a 50-yard goal on the final day victory over AFC Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.

In an interview quoted by Chelsea News, he appears to hinge his early season form on the tactical approach of his former boss, Mauricio Pochettino.

“At Brighton, it was all tactical, just with the ball; tactical, tactical, tactical. And at Chelsea, it was run, run, run, and it was very difficult for me,” he said.
“With Chelsea, I always ran a bit more, and with Brighton, we almost always had the ball; with Chelsea, it was a different football, and we had to run more.”

At the AMEX Stadium, the 22-year-old played under Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi, managers who favoured possession football rather than Pochettino's high pressing.

The Argentine manager left the club at the end of last season, paving the way for Enzo Maresca, Pep Guardiola's former assistant, who favours a possession-based approach.

Chelsea fans bully Caicedo and Fernandez

Sports Brief reported on Chelsea fans bullying Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez into deactivating their social media accounts after they failed to deliver great performances.

The midfield duo cost a combined £221m but struggled under Pochettino, leading to a fan attack that forced the players to limit their social media activities.

Authors
Elijah Odetokun photo
Elijah Odetokun
Elijah Odetokun is Reuters-trained journalist with three years of experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria, OmaSports and El Futbolero.