Caicedo felt £115m price tag pressure during first season at Chelsea

Moises Caicedo has said he struggled with his confidence during his first season at Chelsea because of the pressure of his £115m price tag.

Caicedo, who completed his move to Stamford Bridge from Brighton last year, signed for an initial £100m fee but could see that rise to a British club record £115m due to performance-related add-ons.

The 22-year-old endured a difficult campaign under Mauricio Pochettino, making 49 appearances in all competitions but registering just four goal involvements (one goal, three assists).

He was often outperformed by midfield partner Conor Gallagher, who is expected to complete a move to Atletico Madrid in the coming days despite captaining the Blues to European football last season.

Gallagher won more tackles (52), created more chances (53) and had a higher passing accuracy (91.5%) when compared to Caicedo.

“The beginning was tough for me, because you are at a big club, the price, you always have to win every game,” Caicedo said.

“It was tough for me because when I was in Brighton, the pressure is less.

“At Chelsea, it is different. I felt a lot of pressure because you know the club, the history, the players who were there.

“But after the last four or five months, I felt more comfortable at the club.”

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Caicedo showed signs of improvement towards the end of the last Premier League season, with three of his four goal involvements coming in the final four games of the campaign.

The Ecuador international praised new head coach Enzo Maresca’s new style of play, likening it to the one played by Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi during his time at Brighton.

“He plays like the same system that I played in Brighton. He wants the same,” Caicedo said.

“He wants me to show my quality, to have good personality, to show to my team-mates that I am the boss on the pitch.”

It could have been much different for Caicedo, who was the subject of interest from Liverpool before his move to Chelsea last year.

After the departures of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jurgen Klopp was keen to add Caicedo to his midfield ranks.

Liverpool had agreed a £111m deal with Brighton before Caicedo chose Chelsea, something he said was down to the Blues’ sustained show of interest.

“Chelsea was with me for a couple of months. I could not miss out on them,” Caicedo added.

“Because they were with me in tough moments when Brighton didn’t want to let me go.

“It was a difficult decision but, for sure, 100%, I knew I wanted to go to Chelsea.”

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