Chelsea legend issues surprise Moises Caicedo transfer verdict

Robin Bairner

27 Oct 2025 07:28 GMT
4 min read

Chelsea legend Marcel Desailly has made some surprising comments over the Stamford Bridge’s side transfer for Moises Caicedo.

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Caicedo arrived in a €116 million deal from Brighton in the summer of 2023. The 23-year-old has since made more than 100 appearances for Enzo Maresca’s side, cementing his reputation as one of the Premier League’s best midfielders.

This season, the Ecuador star has added goals to his game, netting three times in the league for the West London side.

Current ETV

Moisés Caicedo

DM (C)

Chelsea

Moisés Caicedo

DM (C)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€71.5M - €87.4M

Desailly, though, has made some rather puzzling comments about the signing of Caicedo.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, the 1998 World Cup winner said: “When they were buying players like Caicedo, nobody really understood what Chelsea was doing.

“They bought the player for around double his value at the time. And you look over the years, now Caicedo might have the value that they bought him for two years ago.

“So they have that long-term project. It’s the same as the way they are signing players on long-term contracts, to keep them into the system and to be able financially to keep them into the system over the success.”

© IMAGO - Moises Caicedo: Midfielder has found a scoring touch with Chelsea

What did Brighton think of Caicedo?

Caicedo was generally regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League at Brighton, and Chelsea were forced to beat a clamour of clubs to sign the player, hence the puzzlement over Desailly’s comments.

Former Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi said of Caicedo: “Caicedo is a top player. He has everything - physical, intelligence, quality. For me, he can play in any team in the world.”

But praise wasn’t just coming from within Brighton. Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said in January 2023: “He’s absolutely outstanding. He covers the ground, breaks up play, uses the ball really well - you can see why the top clubs want him.”

Caicedo’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €79.5 million is similar to the career high of €86.1m he hit shortly after arriving at Stamford Bridge, indicating that his underlying worth has not changed significantly.

Chelsea will not concern themselves with this figure. Caicedo is a keystone player in Maresca’s side and is going nowhere.

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