Arsenal could reignite their interest in Moises Caicedo during the summer as Mikel Arteta eyes a major midfield revamp for next season.
According to Fichajes, Arsenal could return with an approach for Moises Caicedo in the summer. The Gunners failed with at least two huge bids for the 21-year-old midfielder in January. Mikel Arteta wants to sign the Ecuadorian from fellow Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion as part of his major midfield rebuild.
Had Arsenal been successful in their pursuit of Moises Caicedo in January, it would have been one of the biggest deals of that window. It would not have come close to Chelsea’s captures of Mykhaylo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez. But it would have been a massive statement of intent from the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta wanted to reinforce the central midfield area with a good addition, as Arsenal were short there. The manager wanted an able cover for Thomas Partey, without whom they have suffered in the past. Arsenal saw at least two offers worth £60 million and £70 million rejected by Brighton for Caicedo.
Chelsea also had a bid rejected before Arsenal entered the chase. The Blues eventually ended up signing Enzo Fernandez in a British-record deal. The Gunners acquired Jorginho on deadline day to shore up their midfield. The Italian international was their third arrival behind Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior.
While reports suggested their pursuit of the 21-year-old midfielder may have spoilt relationships with fellow Premier League club Brighton, the Gunners are set to reignite their interest. Arteta knows what the Ecuadorian midfielder can bring to the team and remains keen to add him next summer.
Arsenal are expected to chase Declan Rice in the summer summer. And the West Ham United captain would reportedly prefer to join the Gunners ahead of Chelsea. There were question marks over who Arteta preferred to sign between Caicedo and Rice. And to the surprise of many, he would like both those players at the Emirates.
The plan would involve adding a solid player and another to replace Partey in the long term. Arteta is keen to accelerate those objectives and make a splash next summer. Chelsea also retain an interest in Caicedo. But going by the late twist in the chase, the Ecuadorian had his heart set on Arsenal.
Adding Rice and Caicedo would signal a huge statement of intent by Arteta and Arsenal. The duo would form a midfield partnership for years to come and allow the Gunners to continue challenging for the biggest honours in football.
Declan Rice to Arsenal makes sense, he is a young player who could form the core of a top midfield for the gunners for the next 5-7 years; but Arsenal have never signed one of the top most sought-after players… which is what Rice will be as he enters the last year of his contract with West Ham.
In the winter 2023 window, the top two players were Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez. Chelsea signed them both (for ridiculous money). In the 2022 summer window the four big prizes were Erling Haaland, Antony, Aurélien Tchouameni, and Darwin Nunez. Haaland went to City, Antony, to Man U, Tchouameni to Barcelona, and Nunez to Liverpool.
In the winter of 2021/22, the big prize was Disan Vlahovic. Arsenal were in for him and he rejected the Gunners after Juventus offered obscene money. The summer 2021 window there were three big prizes; Jack Grealish, Romelu Lukaku, and Jadon Sancho. Sancho went to Man U for silly money, Lukaku went to Chelsea for over 100 million, and Jack Grealish signed for City for over a 100 million.
In 2020/21 there were a bunch of big money signings, with Kai Havertz being the big one. He signed for Chelsea. Arthur Melo, Victor Omishen, and Ruben Diaz all cost over 70 million. Arsenal signed none of them,
In 2019/20 there was a bumoer crop of70+ million euro signings. Arsenal did not sign any of the top three prizes; Joao Felix, Antoine Griezeman, and Eden Hazard. The Gunners did sign Nicholas Pepe. The French star is now out on loan in his native France having been usurped by Bukayo Saka.
In 2018/19 the big prize was Kylian Mbappe. He went to PSG.
This is not a whinge-fest. Arsenal have long been a club that lived within its means and that approach has yielded a competitive, financially sound club that plays great football. What it does not yield is transfer-window headlines. Arsenal have spent money; a lot of of it. That’s a necessity if a team wants to compete in the top hald of the Premier League table. However, the Gunners have never gone out, throw caution to the winds, and signed that one most highly-sought-after star regardless of how much he cost.
In the summer window there are two or three players; Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, and (possible) Dusan Vlahovic (again). Which means Declan Rice to Arsenal, while it makes football sense, is unlikely to come to pass.