Desailly: 'Caicedo must forget the record price at Chelsea'
"You need to adapt to the new system and adjust the game. Caicedo is at a big club. And at a big club, you need to be much better prepared for each game," Desailly told Sky Sports on August 23 when asked. about the rookie of the old team.
Caicedo turned down Liverpool to join Chelsea for a total fee of 146 million USD, including 127 million USD fixed and 19 million USD as additional fees depending on individual performance. The Ecuadorian midfielder became the most expensive player in Premier League history when he broke the old record of 137 million when Arsenal bought midfielder Delcan Rice from West Ham in mid-July.
Before joining Chelsea, Caicedo played for lesser-known clubs such as Independiente del Valle, Beerschot and Brighton. He started playing regularly from the 2022-2023 season, with 43 matches in all competitions.
The 21-year-old made his Chelsea debut on August 20, when he replaced Ben Chilwell from the 61st minute against West Ham in the second round of the Premier League. In his half-hour on the field, Caicedo touched the ball 49 times, missed the target once, failed to make a key pass, lost the ball eight times and fouled twice.
Eight minutes of second-half injury time saw Caicedo's disastrous performance. His careless cross allowed Pablo Fornals to shoot from close range but couldn't beat goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Shortly after, Caicedo fouled Emerson Palmieri in the box. On the penalty spot, Lucas Paqueta fooled Sanchez to seal a 3-1 win for West Ham.
According to Desailly, Caicedo also needs to get his mind off the record transfer fee to avoid further pressure. "He has to forget the price of more than 100 million USD and play more determined," the former Chelsea midfielder from 1998-2004 emphasized.
On Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher commented that Caicedo had a "nightmare" debut with a sloppy foul at the end of the game. The English player also criticized Caicedo when he missed the target on the third touch. "Caicedo is not strong at scoring, and certainly not signed by Chelsea for that reason," he said.
Carragher's colleague Jamie Redknapp thinks that the Ecuadorian midfielder has not played officially in the past 60 days and may not be in his best form. "Caicedo will play better. Because things can only get better after you make a penalty for the home team on your debut," Redknapp mocked Chelsea rookie.
On August 21, the day after the defeat to West Ham, Caicedo posted a message on Instagram: "It was not a debut as expected, but I am very happy with the first minutes of playing for this big club. We will continue to work hard to bring Chelsea back to the place it deserves. Thank you to the fans who are supporting me."
Many new teammates have commented encouraging and supporting Caicedo. "This is not how it started, but how it ended. Come on brother. We will work together," wrote Enzo Fernandez. Rookie Romeo Lavia and captain Reece James both left messages of solidarity.
On August 25, Chelsea returned home to Stamford Bridge to welcome rookie Luton Town in the third round of the Premier League and then meet AFC Wimbledon in the second round of the League Cup on August 30.
