5 important facts about Chelsea's record signing Moises Caicedo

 

Having been linked with a move to Chelsea all summer, Liverpool looked to have stolen a march on the Blues in the race to sign Moises Caicedo on Friday. However, the Blues have this evening confirmed the arrival of the Ecuador international.

 

Here, we highlight five key Moises Caicedo facts that should excite Chelsea fans, with the youngster seemingly set for a switch to Stamford Bridge. 

 

He's a ball winning machine 

 

A key reason behind Chelsea's desire to sign Moises Caicedo is his ability to rob opponents of possession with ease. The Blues need to add a ball winner to the middle of the park in order to help protect the defence and provide Enzo Fernandez with the perfect partner in Mauricio Pochettino's favoured 4-2-3-1 setup. 

 

Only Joao Palhinha (141) and Idrissa Gueye (103) have made more tackles than Caicedo (100) since the start of last season, the latter having returned an excellent tackle success rate of 78.1% in the process. The Ecuador international would be a superb fit for this Chelsea side. 

 

He'd provide sufficient protection for the defence 

 

Not only did Caicedo rank high for tackles in the Premier League last season, but he robbed opponents of the ball frequently in a key area of the pitch. Games can often be won and lost in the middle of the park, so a hard worker off the ball is of the utmost importance. 

 

Again, Caicedo excelled for Brighton. Only Rodri (193) and Declan Rice (175) have won possession in the midfield third more times than Caicedo (142) since the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season. The player do so most for Chelsea last season was centre-back Thiago Silva (59), and this further reinforces the need to land a player of Caicedo's calibre. 

 

He recycles possession well 

 

A key quality for a ball winner is the ability to find a teammate when he does rob an opponent of possession. It's all well and good winning the ball, but if you can't pick the right pass in the seconds afterwards, then it's all for nothing. 

 

 

That said, Caicedo perfoms this to a high standard. Of central midfielders to have started more than 10 games since the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season, only three have a better pass success rate than Caicedo (88.8%), one of whom is Blues star Enzo Fernandez (89.1%). Chelsea are clearly seeking control in the middle of the park. 

 

He can dominate in the air 

 

At 5ft 10in, Caicedo isn't the most daunting of central midfielders to come up against. Manchester City's Rodi, for example, dominates aerially, which isn't a shock given he stands at 6ft 3in. However, Caicedo is able to win the key aerial duels when needed. 

 

Of the 58 aerial duels Caicedo contested in the Premier League last season, he won a respectable 37, returning a modest aerial success rate of 63.8% to reinforce a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'aerial duels'. It's another weapon in Caicedo's arsenal that can be utilised. 

 

He's a versatile performer 

 

While Caicedo's best role is as the ball winner in the middle of the park, it's not the only position he can play. A key attribute for any player in the modern game is their ability to play in a number of roles, and Caicedo is no different. 

 

Roberto De Zerbi started Caicedo at right-back three times in the Premier League last season, and he returned a solid average WhoScored rating of 6.91 across those three starts. Caicedo will be signed to play in midfield, but it's an added boost for Mauricio Pochettino.

5 important facts about Chelsea's record signing Moises Caicedo