Yes, Moises Caicedo is Brilliant! Why did it take so long for you to notice? | OneFootball

It should not have taken a rocket against the reigning champions for Moises Caicedo to be included in conversations about elite Premier League midfielders. Anyone who had watched him for even a casual amount of time would have noticed his quality.

Overdue Recognition

In some ways, it feels like mainstream outlets have exposed themselves with the sudden mass realisation that Caicedo is, in fact, great. Why has it taken so long? Why does it take big games against favourably covered opponents for players like him to enter the picture?

Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, and Paul Scholes all chimed in after the victory over Liverpool to praise Caicedo. “He’s the best midfield player in the league at this moment in time,” Neville said on Sky Sports. Carragher called him “very close” to Declan Rice, whom he still favours.

Scholes added his own take, saying Caicedo is not an “all-round” midfielder in his view—this after a game where the Ecuadorian belted one in from range, played incisive passes, and effectively shielded the Chelsea defence. To give Scholes some grace, he often gives the impression of an ex-pro who probably only watches a handful of games that don’t involve Manchester United.

And that goes some way to explaining this issue.

Indisputable

In terms of numbers, Caicedo is beyond doubt. He has completed the most passes of any Chelsea player in the Premier League so far this season, has three goals in seven games, and leads the team in tackles and interceptions. He also tops the league in ball recoveries.

Apart from some early challenges after arriving from Brighton in the summer of 2023, Caicedo has been virtually untouchable in terms of consistency within the Chelsea squad. Even with the exceptional output of Cole Palmer, the Ecuadorian was the runaway Player of the Year last season.

It’s hard to imagine Caicedo would have taken this long to gain major plaudits had he signed for Liverpool instead of Chelsea two summers ago—or if he had joined Arsenal or Manchester United. Given that most pundits come from those “established three,” is it really surprising that the focus tends to stay there?

“Big Game” Bias

There’s also the blunt but accurate reality that “big games” shape more of the football conversation than others. Caicedo’s starring role against Liverpool was impossible to ignore. Even though, for most Chelsea watchers, this has been his norm for over a year, it’s these moments that finally draw wider recognition.

Perhaps the greatest compliment to Caicedo is that few conversations about him now involve his price tag—the very thing that once threatened to define him. Transfer fees are almost always invoked negatively, unless a player turns out to be a bargain.

That, above all else, is the biggest sign of Caicedo’s success: he has been worth every penny for Chelsea.

You can follow my coverage of Chelsea on YouTube at SonOfChelsea. More written coverage of the club on Substack. Follow me on X for more thoughts, along with listening to the podcast.