Moisés Caicedo is at the centre of what could well be the final major transfer saga of the January window.With Brighton & Hove Albion continuing to prove themselves as an extraordinary recruiter of footballing gems, the 'big six' of the Premier League have once again loosened their purse strings to try and piggyback off their sharp eye for talent.That's because Caicedo has not only been linked with a move to either Chelsea or Arsenal in recent days, but the man himself has gone as far as publicly declaring his desire to leave.
What did Caicedo say about leaving Brighton?
According to Goal, Caicedo penned: "I am grateful to [club owner] Mr. [Tony] Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best for them. I always play football with a smile and with heart.
"I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador. My dream always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador.
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 13: Moises Caicedo of Brighton and Hove Albion in action during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa at American Express Community Stadium on November 13, 2022 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
"I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.
"The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity.â€
Why are Arsenal paying big money for Caicedo?
So, what's all the hype about? Especially seeing as The Times are now reporting that Brighton are willing to sell up as Arsenal prepare a fresh bid weighing in at more than £60 million.
Well, allow Twitter user @EBL2017, who is an 'experienced performance analyst', to paint you a picture, because they've brilliantly broken down why exactly Caicedo is such an exciting prospect with an in-depth thread in recent days.
Heralding the 21-year-old as a 'special' and 'unique' talent, you only need to delve a few tweets deep into the analysis to get a very clear idea of why he's attracted such hefty fees.
So as Brighton's latest gem looks towards a potential date with destiny at Emirates Stadium, be sure to get the jump on your mates by delving into why exactly Caicedo is so special.
Video: Examples of Caicedo scanning during Leicester vs Brighton
Not only is Caicedo the real deal, but boy does an Arsenal move make a hell of a lot of sense when you read it like that.
At the end of the day, Thomas Partey is one of the best holding midfielders in the world, so Arsenal don't need to break the bank and sign Caicedo to simply shore up the back four.
No, rather, Caicedo looks like an ideal long-term replacement for Granit Xhaka who - though deserving of heaps of praise for adapting and raising his game under Mikel Arteta - represents a potential area of improvement for a team competing for Premier League titles.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 27: Granit Xhaka of Arsenal during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on January 27, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
And that's the scary thing if you're one of Arsenal's rivals: they do already have a stellar number eight, but they're still pushing onwards and onwards in search of an upgrade.
Regardless of whether or not Arsenal lift the Premier League this season, you certainly won't be able to fault them for effort because if they do indeed wrap up a deal for Caicedo, then boy are they swinging for the fences.
DONE DEALS! Caicedo to Arsenal 70m BID✅ Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea 100m BID💰Tottenham sign Porro âœï¸
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