Caicedo was signed by Chelsea from Brighton in 2023 in a then-record British transfer fee worth £115 million (€130m/$152m). Just 21 at the time, Caicedo initially struggled to live up to the lofty expectations set after the money spent by Chelsea. As has become the norm in the world of social media, the ex-Independiente prodigy was quickly labelled a 'flop', particularly from a large section of Arsenal and Liverpool fans online after he had turned down their advances the same summer to join the Blues.
However, as the season progressed and he gained rhythm, he started delivering impactful performances from the middle of the park. At the start of the 2024-25 season, he was even handed the captain's armband against Servette in a Conference League fixture, a slap in the face of the naysayers and evidence of his growing stature within the Chelsea dressing room. He finished the season with Conference League and Club World Cup titles. He was also the only Chelsea player to feature in all 38 Premier League games, as Enzo Maresca guided his team to a top-four finish in his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge.
This season, his star has only shone brighter. He has become perhaps the first name on the team sheet under Maresca and has rubber-stamped his credentials as one of the best midfielders in Europe, if not the best. Most recently, he delivered a gargantuan performance from midfield in the 3-0 hammering of Barcelona in the Champions League. At just 24 years old, one can only wonder how scary he would look as a player when he enters his prime, which is still a few years away.
