Moises Caicedo has turned into a world-beater since signing from Brighton, but Joe Cole was sold on the Chelsea midfielder well before he came to Stamford Bridge.
In the absence of Cole Palmer, there hasn’t been much debate as to who Chelsea’s best player this season is.
John Terry thinks Caicedo has been unbelievable to start the campaign and — by whatever metric you use — he’s absolutely correct.
On top of all the outstanding work he does defensively, no Chelsea player has scored more goals in the league (3).
There’s no doubt Caicedo is one of the best midfielders — if not the best — in the Premier League, but according to Cole, that’s nothing new.
Joe Cole has rated Moises Caicedo since his Brighton days
When you fork out £100 million plus for a player, you would hope they are a top talent. Caicedo’s price tag factored in the fact that he was just 21 at the time, and had plenty of room to grow.
But Cole thinks he was already elite before coming to Stamford Bridge.
Appearing on talkSPORT, he said: “I remember watching him at Brighton and I thought to myself, ‘Between the two boxes, I think he’s the best midfielder in the world’.
“In the modern game, when so much of it’s about patterns of play and winning yardage, breaking the lines, he’s the best at that.”
Though Caicedo was turning heads while at the AmEx stadium, not many were going that far, that early. But Cole saw undeniable quality from the Ecuadorian, who just turned 24 on Sunday.
And he’s only gotten better since his Brighton days.
Cole makes bold claim about Caicedo at Chelsea
Continuing his praise of the Chelsea star, Cole is sure-footed in his view of Caicedo. So much so, that he claims he is now Chelsea’s biggest player.
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As he puts it: “Now he’s adding goals into his game. Also, at the other end of the pitch, he’s becoming more of a leader. I think he’s the most important player at Chelsea in terms of, if we had a cup final tomorrow, I’d want his name on the teamsheet before anyone else.
“I think he’s brilliant, and that £100million now is looking like a snip.”
Fans will all agree that the club got value for money from their marquee signing, who looks like bossing the Chelsea midfield for years to come. Maresca has drawn comparisons between Caicedo and Rodri, and there’s no reason why he can’t be in that conversation.
Palmer may have a thing or two to say about Cole’s claims, but on current form, it’s hard to argue with the ex-player.
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