£100m “big influence” can be a duel monster and keep adding assists to his game too | OneFootball

There was a lot of doubt around Moises Caicedo earlier in his Chelsea career – there’s still some doubt now. A £100m price tag is always going to weigh heavy. He could play really well – play like a £60m player, and still be well short of that price tag.

But in isolation of what we paid, it’s still been a solid start to the season for the former Brighton man, and one person who was loving waxing lyrical about him was Mark Lawrenson:

“I’ve been impressed with Chelsea, they have started very well,” Lawrenson said in quotes picked up by DAZN.

“Moises Caicedo has been a big influence so far in that midfield, he’s finally beginning to look like the player that they spent all that money on last summer. We always knew he was a top player at Brighton, it was just about getting that out of him”

This is all in stark contrast to some of the snarkier elements of the Liverpool-associated parts of the media, who mocked the signing last season at times when Caicedo struggled. Lawro seems far more open minded.

Moises Caicedo’s heatmap after 6 games.

Moises Caicedo can improve numbers on both sides of the ball as team gels around him

What seems to be helping Caicedo is a more settled team around him. He’s been here for a year, and so have a number of the first team. As someone playing at the heart of the team, often dictating the tempo to a degree, this familiarity matters more to him than most players.

The defensive structure doesn’t help him, but if that can be sorted he could look even more impressive as a duel monster who wins balls and sets up instant breaks with accurate passing. He’s started picking up more assists recently, and that can continue too if the pressure is moved further up the pitch.