Theo Walcott says Chelsea have found a player who’s just like Claude Makelele

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Theo Walcott has compared one current Chelsea star to legendary Blues player Claude Makelele.

Claude Makelele spent five seasons at Chelsea between 2003 and 2008, where he completely took the Premier League by storm towards the latter stages of his career.

The French defensive midfielder, who retired in 2011, enjoyed an incredible career for both club and country.

Michael Ballack said he loved playing with Claude Makelele in Chelsea’s midfield because he was “unselfish” and such an intelligent footballer.

There aren’t many individuals who have a position named after them. However, the ‘Makelele role’ became a common term for a defensive midfielder who screened the backline.

• READ MORE: Claude Makelele confirms his best moment in a Chelsea shirt, it followed 50 years of ‘dreaming’

Theo Walcott massively rates Moises Caicedo, compares to Claude Makelele

Former Premier League star Theo Walcott has just compared Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo, 23, to Makelele.

He’s a giant fan of the current Blues midfielder for his performances and can see shades of Makelele in his game.

Walcott said via the Premier League’s YouTube channel: “For me, one of the best midfield players in that position that’s ever lived, Makelele. A bit before [N’Golo] Kante. Kante took Makelele’s thrown a little bit to some extent. But he (Caicedo) is as close as you’re going to get to the modern era of that position. He can fill the right-back as well.

“You talk about the price tag, but it doesn’t faze him… He’s an absolute rock, sadly in the wrong shirt for me. I’m a huge fan of his because he unlocks the door for people like Cole Palmer to do their thing. He’s an extra man in that midfield, maybe two or three, that’s how good he is.”

It’s no real surprise that Moises Caicedo looked up to Claude Makelele, admitting that he used to watch old videos of him playing.

The brilliant thing about Caicedo is that he’s proven he can operate brilliantly as a deep-lying midfielder protecting the defence. On top of that, he’s got the athleticism and technical ability to thrive as a No 8 box-to-box midfielder as well.

Gary Neville’s verdict of Moises Caicedo is that he’s gone from “awful” to “outstanding” after a challenging debut season with the Blues last season. In this second campaign, he’s been the heartbeat of Enzo Maresca’s side.

Moises Caicedo the master at stealing possession

Like Makelele, Caicedo is so effective at turning over possession in his side’s favour.

The Ecuador international tops the Premier League chart this season for possession won in the midfield third, which will be no surprise to Chelsea supporters that watch him every week.

At the moment, the Blues look incredibly strong in the centre of the park with the likes of Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia. If they can build around them, we’re confident it’s the base of a successful team moving forward.