N’Golo Kante’s sudden departure from Stamford Bridge means Chelsea now have to act.
The World Cup winner had been close to an agreement to extend his stay in the English capital, but a €100m (£86m) a season deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad suddenly looks set to end his fruitful career in Europe.
His last year at the Blues was ravaged by injury, and he only made nine appearances in all competitions – this prolonged absence was one of the reasons for Chelsea’s spectacular decline into the bottom half of the table.
The 32-year-old must be replaced and Moises Caicedo is a player who can adopt a similar role.
What’s the latest on Moises Caicedo to Chelsea?
Having missed out on the signature of CP Sporting’s Manuel Ugarte, the West Londoners are expected to accelerate their efforts to tempt Caicedo to join.
Whilst it seemed that Chelsea were prioritising a deal for the Uruguayan, it’s been revealed that the 2021 Champions League winners have been equally interested in the Brighton star for around £80m.
This has been reaffirmed by reputable journalist Dean Jones, who told GIVEMESPORT: “I don’t think it’s even a case of getting back of the Caicedo trail, they’ve already been on it. The whole time the Ugarte thing has been going on, Caicedo is still the one I’ve been hearing more about. I’ve always expected that Chelsea would go for Caicedo.”
Can Caicedo replicate Kante’s exploits at Chelsea?
Across seven years at Chelsea, the former Leicester City star notched 269 appearances, 29 goal involvements, and six different trophies, winning everything available aside from the Carabao Cup.
The 53-cap international is renowned for his energetic and insufferable ability to break up opposition attacks and protect his backline.
Due to his unbelievable consistency, Cesc Fabregas has labelled Kante as “world-class”, a sentiment that was echoed by Ally McCoist, who described the player as “absolutely magic.”
The beautiful chapter of Kante’s tremendous story at Chelsea has rightfully ended, forging the pathway for Caicedo to possibly repeat the heroics of his positional peer.
Within his age bracket, the youngster has brilliantly excelled as the £60k-per-week star has won possession in the midfield third the most times (142) of any U21 player this season.
Across the continent, the 30-cap international has also emerged as a formidable asset, ranking within the top 26% in Europe’s top five leagues among other midfielders for progressive passes, as well as the highest 11% for interceptions per 90, according to FBref.
So far in his short, but equally dazzling career, Caicedo has demonstrated himself to be a phenomenal pivot with an uncoachable quality to read the game and sniff out danger.
South American Football expert Tim Vickery has described the Ecuadorian as “terrific” and whilst it would be foolish to suggest he can instantly fill Kante’s void if he continues on his currently frightening trajectory, he could be unstoppable.
