Moises Caicedo admits feeling pressure of Chelsea price tag
- Chelsea broke the British transfer record to sign Caicedo for £115m
- Ecuador midfielder had a slow start but has since impressed a large part of the fanbase
- Former Blue Claude Makelele offered advice to 22-year-old
By Tom Gott
Moises Caicedo has admitted to struggling with the pressure of his British-record price tag.
Chelsea smashed the previous record - their own £107m signing of Enzo Fernandez - when they lured Caicedo over from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer for a whopping £115m after a public transfer battle with Liverpool.
The 22-year-old endured a slow start to life at Stamford Bridge, however, and confessed the pressure on his shoulders was tough to manage at times.
"At the beginning, I felt the pressure," Caicedo told Chelsea media. "In my mind, I wanted to show my best football and why the club paid the money for me.
"After that, I started to speak with people who helped me understand that if Chelsea signed me it's because I am worth it. I have kept on playing and I know I have to show my best on the pitch.
"Of course, I haven't played every game well and it was tough at the beginning, but now I feel good and feel I am helping the team. I am only thinking about the game and not what people are saying about me.
"Personally, now I am feeling good. I can see my gains and I am playing better and helping the team. That is important for me because when I don’t play well, I get frustrated. It's my first season at Chelsea so it's normal that it took some time and I am learning in every game."
Former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele, who left his role as a mentor for the Blues' youngsters in September 2023, urged Caicedo to keep working on his on-pitch IQ to fully justify his price tag.
"He needs to learn," Makelele told The Athletic. "He's an amazing player.
"If Chelsea don’t give him the platform with these details, he will struggle and it will be difficult and he won't play at a higher level than he was before in the Premier League [with Brighton]. He needs to learn, to read; it’s very important for people to give him this message.
"It's not about the physical quality, it’s about the smarts. Understanding about when to make an impact, when not to, learning about where your teammates are, you have to use this position to read the game. You need to have leadership in this position. You don't play for yourself, you play for everyone else to be ok in the team. Because the manager can't do anything anymore, you have to guide the way to play and the way to win."
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