Chelsea’s newest signing, Moises Caicedo, has made history in the English Premier League (EPL) by becoming the youngest player ever to command a high transfer fee. The 22-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder’s move to Chelsea was announced on the club’s official website, with an 8-year contract and an option for a one-year extension included.
While the exact transfer fee has not been disclosed, The Guardian reported that Chelsea paid a staggering £115 million (approximately ₩195 billion), making it the highest transfer fee in EPL history. This surpasses the previous record set by Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who joined Chelsea last winter for £106.8 million (about ₩180 billion).
Caicedo’s transfer fee also places him as the third most expensive player in football history. The top spot is held by Neymar, whose move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 commanded a transfer fee of £192 million (around ₩326 billion), followed by Kylian Mbappe, who joined PSG from AS Monaco in 2017 for £128 million (about ₩217 billion).
Expressing his excitement about joining Chelsea, Caicedo said, “Coming to Chelsea has made my dream come true. I can’t wait to start with Chelsea.”
With Caicedo’s arrival, Chelsea now boasts a formidable midfield, partnering him with Fernandez. The Argentine midfielder, who led his country to victory in the 2022 World Cup, put on a stellar performance against Liverpool in the opening round, with a pass success rate of 90%, 2 successful dribbles, and 1 tackle. His performance earned him a rating of 7.0 from European football statistics site WhoScored.com.
Additionally, Chelsea is also close to securing the signing of Belgian defensive midfielder Romeo Rabia, who played a key role for Southampton last season and has garnered attention for his strong dribbling and defensive abilities. The potential deal would involve a transfer fee of £50 million (around ₩84 billion) plus additional options.
Although Caicedo attracted interest from other clubs, including Arsenal, he ultimately chose Chelsea despite Liverpool’s offer of £110 million (about ₩187 billion). This decision bolsters Chelsea’s midfield after the departures of N’Golo Kante to Saudi Arabia and Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City this summer.
Critics, however, question the hefty transfer fee for Caicedo, considering that he only had one season as a regular starter for Brighton. Prior to joining the club, Caicedo began his professional career with Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle before moving to Brighton in 2021. He faced tough competition for a starting position and spent six months on loan at Bayrs in Belgium during the first half of the 2021-2022 season. Despite these challenges, Caicedo’s performances showcased his potential, earning him a spot in the Ecuadorian national team and a place in the 2022 World Cup squad.
Brighton has also profited significantly from Caicedo’s transfer, considering they signed him in 2021 for a mere £4.5 million (around ₩7.5 billion). The club also sold midfielder Alexis McAllister to Liverpool this summer for £35 million (about ₩60 billion), a substantial increase from his initial transfer fee of £7 million (about ₩12 billion) when he joined Brighton.
With Caicedo’s promising talent and Chelsea’s strengthened midfield, all eyes will be on the Ecuadorian midfielder as he embarks on his Premier League journey with the London club.
Official photo of Moises Caicedo. /Photo = Moises Caicedo’s Chelsea website. /Photo = Moises Caicedo stands for Chelsea SNS. /Photo = Chelsea SNS Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo (22) wrote a new history in the English Premier League (EPL). At a young age, he became the EPL’s first ever high transfer fee.
Chelsea announced on its official website on the 15th (Korea time), “We have signed an 8-year contract with Caicedo, who played for Brighton & Hove Albion (England). An option for a one-year extension is included.” Caicedo’s transfer fee has not been revealed exactly, but the British The Guardian said, “Chelsea signed Caicedo for 115 million pounds (about 195 billion won), the highest transfer fee in the EPL.”
Chelsea acquired Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez in the transfer market last winter for £106.8 million (about 180 billion won), the highest transfer fee in the EPL at the time. However, after seven months, he paid a higher price and brought in Caicedo, the best midfielder in the Premier League. The owner of the highest ever transfer fee in the EPL has also changed from Fernandez to Caicedo. Caicedo is also the third most expensive player in football history. In 2017, when ‘Brazilian Star’ Neymar transferred from Barcelona (Spain) to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), he recorded the highest transfer fee of 192 million pounds (about 326 billion won), second place was Kylian Mbappe in 2017 When the team moved from AS Monaco (France) to PSG, he recorded a transfer fee of 128 million pounds (he won about 217 billion).
Caicedo said, “Coming to Chelsea has made my dream come true. I can’t wait to start with Chelsea.”
With this, Chelsea has built a strong midfield with Fernandez and Caicedo up front. Fernandez, who led Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, also performed excellently against Liverpool in the opening round 1 held on the 14th. He recorded a pass success rate of 90%, 2 dribbles and 1 tackle. At the time, WhoScored.com, a European football statistics site, gave Fernandez a good rating of 7.0. With Caicedo joining, the depth of Chelsea’s squad has grown thicker.
Chelsea are also close to signing Belgian defensive midfielder Romeo Rabia. Born in Man City, he played as a key member of Southampton last season and scored one goal in 29 league games. His strengths include his excellent dribbling and his ability to block opposition attacks when appropriate. The Guardian said, “Rabia wants to join Chelsea, who have offered a condition that includes a transfer fee of 50 million pounds (about 84 billion won) plus an option.”
Moises Caicedo. /Photo=Chelsea homepage Official Moises Caicedo. /Photo = Chelsea SNS Moises Caicedo. /Photo = Chelsea SNS Indeed, many clubs were targeting Caicedo. In the transfer market last winter, Arsenal sent out a love call. At the time, Arsenal were challenging to win the league, and continued to invest actively in order not to miss the opportunity. Caicedo also wanted a transfer. But it was unprofessional. The transfer has not been confirmed, but he created controversy by revealing through personal SNS that he wanted a transfer, such as leaving a farewell message to Brighton fans. In the end, Caicedo apologized for his actions and re-signed.
However, even this summer, big clubs continued to offer recruitment, and Caicedo chose to transfer. Both Chelsea and Liverpool wanted to sign Caise, but the eventual winner was Chelsea. Liverpool moved first. A transfer fee of 110 million pounds (about 187 billion won) was offered, and Brighton also accepted. But, definitely, Caicedo wanted to move to Chelsea. After rejecting an offer from Liverpool, he chose Chelsea. It was a decision that would be a big boost for Chelsea. This summer, Chelsea sent N’Golo Kante to Saudi Arabia and Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City. In a situation where there was an empty space in midfield, they managed to consolidate their power by recruiting Kaisedo.
Moises Caicedo (right). /Photo = Chelsea SNS Moises Caicedo. /Photo = Chelsea SNS Moises Caicedo recorded the highest ever transfer fee for the EPL club. /Photo = Chelsea SNS Caicedo, who has the advantage of vigorous activity and fighting spirit, played an active role as a main player last season and took part in 37 league games. He also recorded 1 goal and 1 assist. He defended the defense with good defense, and also served as the starting point of the team’s attack through stable passes. He did not save enough to receive 10 yellow cards. WhoScored.com gave Caicedo a season rating of 6.92. Thanks to this, Brighton beat the strong teams to record 6th place in the league and win a ticket to progress to the Europa League.
However, Kaisedo only played an active role as a starting pitcher for one season, last season. For this reason, there are also gazes that express doubts about the value of the ransom of Caicedo, who took the highest transfer fee ever in the EPL. Caicedo, who started his professional first team career with Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle, moved to Brighton in 2021. However, he was pushed out of competition with Eve Bisuma (Tottenham) for the starting position. During the first half of the 2021-2022 season, he spent six months on loan at Bayrs (Belgium). He returned to Brighton during the 2021-2022 season, but only played in 8 league games.
Moises Caicedo. /AFPBBNews=News Moises Caicedo focuses on game 1. /AFPBBNews=News1 Moises Caicedo defends. /AFPBBNews=News1 Caicedo, who took the starting position after Bisuma moved to Tottenham last summer, revealed his worth last season. He was named to the Ecuadorian national team early on and took part in 32 A matches. He also took part in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Thanks to this, Caicedo’s former team, Brighton, earned a huge transfer fee. Brighton signed Caicedo in 2021 for a transfer fee of 4.5 million pounds (about 7.5 billion won). He made a huge profit in 2 years. In addition, Brighton sold key midfielder Alexis McAllister to Liverpool this summer for a transfer fee of £35 million (around 60 billion won). At the time of joining Brighton, Mac Allister’s transfer fee was only 7 million pounds (about 12 billion won).
Moises Caicedo (left) and Alexis McAllister. /AFPBBNews=Moises Caicedo (left) focuses on the game News 1. /AFPBBNews=News1 Moises Caicedo. /AFPBBNews=News1
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