Chelsea clawed back against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, with that well-earned point taking Enzo Maresca’s side to third place heading into the November international break.
The Italian tactician has left his imprint on the Blues squad and is nurturing the manifold layers of talent, with his brand of football bringing out the best in some of Chelsea’s first-teamers.
Perhaps the biggest winner, concerning improvements, is Moises Caicedo.
Moises Caicedo is hitting the price tag
It was a transfer saga that sent shockwaves crackling through English football. In 2023, Chelsea had spent most of the summer fighting to sign Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo.
Liverpool attempted to hijack the deal and had a British-record bid accepted by the Seagulls, but Caicedo’s blood ran blue and he chose Chelsea, joining the London club in a deal worth £115m.
Last season was certainly a mixed bag, but the Ecuador international has bloomed under Maresca’s wing, shaping into one of the finest midfielders across Europe.
BBC analyst Raj Chohan has recently remarked that he’s “become Chelsea’s most consistent performer”, and this is on the money.
Chelsea would love to repeat the feat and indeed are looking at bringing in a first-class talent who carries many of the same properties as the 22-year-old.
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Chelsea could sign their next Moises Caicedo
According to a report from Caught Offside last weekend, Chelsea are among the high-profile clubs interested in LOSC Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who has made a fine start to life on the senior stage.
The 17-year-old, who is valued at €30m (£25m), has been the subject of scouts from such clubs, and thus Chelsea would be wise to maintain their current tack and forge ahead to secure his signature before other clubs step up.
As per FBref, the teenager is already one of the best on the continent in his role. He remarkably ranks among the top 9% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 5% for tackles per 90, which indeed leads the statistics-led site to draw Caicedo as one of his most comparable players.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig has very much been coloured and impressed by the young ace, who might even prove to be a talent of the highest distinction, perhaps touching heights similar to that of Cole Palmer. After all, Bouaddi has already been described as “one of the brightest young talents in France” and Palmer, arguably, is the finest just across the Channel.
Aged 22, the former Manchester City ace is certainly one of the best in the Premier League and has been an utter revelation at Stamford Bridge, but Bouaddi’s success in slotting into regular starting action for Lille despite only being 17 speaks of his quality and potential, so mature and composed for his bracket.
1.
Cole Palmer
34
33
2.
Erling Haaland
31
32
2.
Ollie Watkins
37
32
4.
Mohamed Salah
32
28
5.
Phil Foden
35
27
5.
Heung-min Son
35
27
It’s worth taking a punt on. Chelsea are amassing quite a prodigious collection of youngsters, but this one might just take the cake.
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Chelsea picked up a hard-fought point against Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend.
ByAngus Sinclair Nov 11, 2024
