'Liverpool have cost Chelsea a hell of a lot more money' - Ex-Blues star claims his old club got ripped off on £115m Moises Caicedo deal after Todd Boehly got caught in bidding war with Premier League rivals

The Ecuador international is still looking to find his feet at Stamford Bridge after an ordinary start to life in the capital. Liverpool tried to swoop in late with an offer for Caicedo but the midfielder stuck to his guns and opted to join Chelsea. But amid the tug-of-war between the two Premier League giants, Brighton benefitted as they upped the selling price to £115m ($144m).

The former Chelsea defender, Glen Johnson, questioned the price tag and opined that Caicedo has failed to live up to the "hype". While speaking to Betfred, he said: "He’s a bloody good player, but I don’t think he’s living up to the massive hype when Liverpool and Chelsea were fighting over him and it was talk of the town. What I think Liverpool have done there is cost Chelsea a hell of a lot more money and I don't think he's living up to that hype.

“He’s a good player. Was he worth the price tag? Probably not. Brighton only had one chance to sell him, so they obviously tried to ride that hype to get as much money as they possibly could for him, but for me, he’s not living up to that hype. I would still say he’s a good signing, but not for that price.”

Johnson is equally disappointed with Mykhailo Mudryk, who cost £89m ($109m) to Chelsea after they beat Arsenal to his signature. He has got just two goals and one assist in 14 Premier League appearances which highlights his plight in front of goal.

"Unfortunately, you’d have to say he’s been greatly disappointing when you consider the attributes he’s got. For a player with blistering speed and trickery, he doesn’t seem to use it," Johnson added. "He came for a lot of money, which isn’t his fault, but I definitely thought we’d have seen a hell of a lot more from him. It’s frustrating because it looks as if he has it all, but he doesn’t have the end product at the moment. We were hoping that he would get a couple of goals and kick on, but then he did score a few and he still didn’t kick on. He’s been frustrating overall.”

After a 4-1 thrashing to Newcastle United in their previous match, Chelsea find themselves in the 12th spot in the league standings. They will be desperate to revive their fortunes when they host Sheffield United on Saturday.