After lengthy negotiations between the Blues and his former club Brighton, the 22-year-old finally arrived at Stamford Bridge in a £115 million deal. However, this move came after a tense ending to the transfer window, as Liverpool attempted to disrupt the agreement with a £100 million bid of their own.
The Ecuadorian international made the choice to move to West London, where Mauricio Pochettino has seen him struggle in his debut season. Despite the high expectations for Caicedo, he has yet to live up to the initial hype. His first match for the team resulted in conceding a penalty during a 3-1 loss to West Ham.
After missing out on signings like Jordan Henderson, James Milner, and Fabinho, who had been integral to Klopp’s Liverpool side in recent years, the manager settled for second choices twice when facing Chelsea. This came after losing out on the signing of Romeo Lavia, a 19-year-old, a week after the failed Caicedo deal.
Given their struggles against Chelsea this season, the Reds’ manager has recently made light of the situations. He mentioned in a news conference, “We experienced some strange things in the summer transfer market, but honestly, looking back, we were lucky.”
“At the time, we didn’t feel it that way, but the outcome is actually a relief. Before preseason, I was confident in the players we had.”
“This is an opportunity for Ryan [Gravenberch], and it’s clear other central midfielders weren’t keen on joining Liverpool! Maca [Alexis Mac Allister] and Dzsoba [Dominik Szoboszlai] are already here! So, we’ll see how things pan out.”
During an interview with Sky Sports, Caicedo revealed why he turned down Liverpool, stating that Chelsea offered him more support than Liverpool did.
He explained, “It was impossible to say no to Chelsea after engaging with them initially. They were there for me, offering encouragement throughout the summer when leaving Brighton was tough.”
“Liverpool contacted me at the last minute, but it was too late. It was difficult to reject Chelsea because I wanted to play for them, and the staff here supported me every step of the way.”
“It’s Chelsea after all; there’s always an expectation to win, which creates pressure if you don’t. Even though it’s been only four months, it feels like the right move. I’m still adjusting, but I believe in my abilities and those of my teammates, and it will take some time.”
