Brighton have informed Chelsea that their offer of £70 million for Moises Caicedo is considered insufficient since Arsenal paid £105 million for Declan Rice.
Brighton view Caicedo as being at least as good, if not better, than Declan Rice, and they believe that he holds a similar value.
The Seagulls have also informed the Blues that he will cost a similar amount as the former West Ham captain Declan Rice.
Chelsea have made two unsuccessful bids for Caicedo, with the most recent being a £70 million offer submitted earlier this week.
According to The Athletic, Brighton considered those offers to be significantly below their £100 million valuation and have made it clear that they are not open to entertaining bids below that amount.
On the 15th of July, 2023, Declan Rice made a £105 million move from West Ham United to Arsenal.
Throughout the summer window, Caicedo’s performances for Brighton have garnered attention from Chelsea, leading to speculation of a potential move.
The midfielder has recently agreed to a new four-year contract that will keep him at Brighton until the summer of 2027.
He also starred as the Seagulls secured qualification for this season’s Europa League.
Meanwhile, other top clubs are in the race to sign Caicedo as Brighton recently turned down a £70 million offer from Arsenal in January.
The 21-year-old has also been identified as a potential replacement for Fabinho once he finalizes his move from Liverpool to Saudi Arabia.
However, Caicedo has expressed his strong preference for Stamford Bridge as his destination of choice. He has openly admitted that he would find it difficult to turn down the opportunity to join Chelsea.
Furthermore, in this analysis, we will examine the strengths and weaknesses of both Rice and Caicedo.
We will then assess the validity of Brighton’s claim to rate Caicedo over the former West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.
Who has scored more goals in the 2022/23 season, Rice or Caicedo?
After the 2022/23 Premier League season, Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo have emerged as two highly impressive central midfielders in high demand.
Rice has scored 5 goals and has taken a total of 9 shots on goal. His goal conversion rate is 9%.
Meanwhile, Moises Isaac Caicedo scored 1 goal and has taken a total of 6 shots on goal. The goal conversion rate is 6%.
Their pass completion rate
Another crucial metric for evaluating a player’s performance is the player’s overall pass completion rate.
In the Premier League campaign, Caicedo has a slight edge over Rice in terms of pass accuracy, with 88.77% compared to Rice’s 87.05%.
Additionally, Caicedo has completed a total of 1961 successful passes, which is over a hundred more than Rice.
Caicedo is highly skilled at passing the ball in every department.
His passing percentages at short (92.5%), medium (90.5%), and long (79.2%) distances distinguished him as one of the top passing midfielders in the Premier League during the previous season.
Who provided more assists, Declan Rice or Moises Caicedo?
Declan Rice has demonstrated his passing and playmaking abilities with 4 assists, 5 key passes (which are passes that directly contribute to a shot on goal).
Moises Isaac Caicedo Corozo has recorded 1 assist and made 11 key passes.
Who is better in defense, Declan Rice or Moises Caicedo?
Both Declan Rice and Moises Isaac Caicedo Corozo possess exceptional defensive skills.
Declan Rice has recorded a total of 12 blocks and has won 81 aerial duels.
On the other hand, Moises Isaac Caicedo Corozo has accumulated a total of 5 blocks and has participated in 72 aerial duels.
Furthermore, Caicedo demonstrated his defensive prowess by completing 50 tackles during the 2022/23 season.
This impressive feat placed him among the top performers in the Premier League, with only four players surpassing his tally.
In contrast, Rice’s tackle count was lower, as he finished further down the list with 38 successful tackles.
It should be noted that Declan Rice played more games, 50 compared to Caicedo’s 43 overall appearances last season.
Based on the statistical values, it is believed that Moises Isaac Caicedo Corozo has a meager advantage over Declan Rice and he’s currently considered the better player.
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