Moisés Caicedo deserves his price tag and the chance to shine at Chelsea, having already proven his worth in the Premier League.
That’s according to former teammate Pedro Vite, who says the midfielder was already a star player during his time with Independiente.
Caicedo joined Chelsea in a €116m deal from Brighton this summer after a battle with Liverpool for his signature later in the summer transfer window.
The move to Stamford Bridge was the big one that many had been predicting for the Ecuadorian, who had been shining at Brighton under Graham Potter and then Roberto de Zerbi last season.
His performances in the Premier League since moving returning to the Seagulls in January 2022 have established himself as one of the rising stars of Europe and a place on the scouting list of the big clubs around Europe.
It was eventually Chelsea who paid the big money to sign him, making him their record signing and the biggest purchase of the Todd Boehly led spending spree so far.
He’s yet to really get going for the Blues, who have struggled early on this season, but his former teammate believes that Caicedo doesn’t actually need to prove anything.
“At that time (with Independiente) Moisés was already a top player, he earned his place in the first team and traveled to Paraguay to just play,” he said.
“We were roommates, but From Monday to Friday he spent in Quito and traveled the day before the games in Paraguay. He always had the character and he showed it from the first game in the Tri.
“He knew how to earn the respect he has and there is a reason he is where he is. Sometimes people attack him because he is not Brazilian or Argentine, they have to stop looking at nationality, he is Ecuadorian and if there are players who are worth what they are worth, it is because they do things well.
“At 21 years old and in Europe, last year in the Premier League he did what he wanted; at City at home, at United too, it seemed like he was playing in Santo Domingo and that’s the good thing about him.”
