Chelsea may be left red-faced as Moises Caicedo’s agent Ali Barat is set to be handed the golden agent award for 2023. Chelsea shelled out a transfer fee that could rise to a British record £115million to land Caicedo from Brighton in August – but the midfielder has underwhelmed during the early stages of his career at Stamford Bridge.
Caicedo was hot property during his time at Brighton, with Arsenal and Liverpool also in the running to sign him. The 22-year-old, who has won 38 caps for Ecuador and starred for his country at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, appeared to be on the verge of joining Liverpool after the Merseyside giants had agreed a £110m deal for the ace. But he reportedly U-turned at the last minute to put pen-to-paper on an eight-year contract in west London.
Barat, who also represents Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, played an instrumental role in securing his client a big-money move. And, according to the Liverpool Echo, he will be handed his award in Turin on Monday night.
After Caicedo had signed for the Blues, Barat explained: “Chelsea did an excellent investment by signing Moises. The player will receive £150,000 per week. He was on £60,000 per week at Brighton. He’s a mix between [Jude] Bellingham and N’Golo Kante.”
Caicedo has featured 14 times for Chelsea. But his presence in west London hasn’t galvanised his team-mates, with the Blues winning just four of their 13 Premier League matches this term. And the midfield ace has barely stood out since moving to the capital.
Caicedo’s fortunes have contrasted with those of Declan Rice. The England international joined Arsenal from West Ham for £100m during the summer transfer window and has been a revelation for the Gunners. His performances have helped the north London giants climb to second in the Premier League table and progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Caicedo’s other agent Manuel Sierra told Ecuadorian channel Football sin Cassette in October why the player had to wait until the summer to join the Blues rather than making his move during the January transfer window last season. “What happened is that in January [Chelsea] couldn’t pay”, he said.
“They couldn’t go crazy because they had to go with one or the other, they couldn’t sign both [Enzo Fernandez and Caicedo]. And I didn’t know what Brighton were going to ask for – Brighton were not going to sell even for £1billion.”
