Without a doubt, Moises Caicedo is the best midfielder at Chelsea and has proven that this season.
Chelsea’s midfield as a whole is quite strong, but Caicedo is the standout individual in that area of the pitch.
However, with the trajectory that Andrey Santos is on, the Brazilian could end up surpassing Caicedo one day.
Santos, who is enjoying an excellent loan spell at Chelsea‘s sister club Strasbourg, is already matching his future teammate in one area.
Andrey Santos has made over 100 tackles this season
Another Chelsea midfielder, Romeo Lavia, enjoys playing with Caicedo, and it is not hard to understand why.
The 23-year-old is a tackling master, but Santos is proving to be just that as well. According to WhoScored, he has made 102 tackles in Ligue 1 this term, more than any other player in the division.
It means Santos is making an impressive 3.5 tackles per league game, which is more than what Caicedo is currently averaging.
| Player | Games | Tackles per game |
| Andrey Santos | 29 | 3.5 |
| Moises Caicedo | 34 | 2.9 |
Santos is not just winning back the ball, though. He is also scoring goals, netting 10 in all competitions, which is not bad for a midfielder.
Simply put, Santos is quickly developing into an all-round midfielder, while the Brazil international is still only 20 years of age. By the time Santos reaches his mid-20s, the former Vasco da Gama star could be a more complete footballer than Caicedo based on what he has shown this season.
Tottenham Hotspur have shown some interest in Santos, but Chelsea would be mad to sell one of their most promising talents to their fierce rivals.
How Andrey Santos and Moises Caicedo compare
For as good as Santos has been in the current campaign, he is not quite on Caicedo’s level just yet.
While Santos has made more tackles than the Ecuadorian, he is not playing in a division as strong as the Premier League. Caicedo is also making more interceptions than the youngster and has completed significantly more passes.
| Player | Goals | Assists | Tackles | Interceptions | Clearances | Passes completed | Pass completion rate |
| Andrey Santos | 9 | 3 | 102 | 24 | 66 | 1,247 | 87.8% |
| Moises Caicedo | 1 | 2 | 100 | 47 | 47 | 1,792 | 89.7% |
Of course, the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion man plays in a much more dominant team, with Chelsea seeing so much of the ball each game.
Whatever the case, for now, Caicedo is the midfield boss at Chelsea. But in the future, that mantle could go to Santos.
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