Caicedo statement changes nothing about his Brighton future

Here we go again. Just like Marc Cucurella and Leandro Trossard before him, Moises Caicedo has become the latest Brighton player to issue a public declaration that he wishes to leave the Amex in light of interest from Arsenal.

Caicedo had been subject to a £55 million bid from Chelsea last week, after which he spoke publicly about wanting to stay with the Albion to repay the faith they had shown in bringing him to England.

A £60 million offer from Arsenal appears to have changed that. And as easy as it would be to blame Caicedo’s new agents for seeking a bumper payday, if that were the case he would have issued the statement when Chelsea came calling.

With Todd Boehly having more money than sense and chucking around eight-year contracts worth tens of millions of pounds, a move to Stamford Bridge would offer greater riches than a transfer to Arsenal.

Caciedo clearly sees the strong prospect of picking up a Premier League winners medal come May as too good to turn down and has now begun agitating for a move to the Emirates.

The following message was posted on Caicedo’s Instagram account: “I am grateful to Mr. Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best for them. I always play football with a smile and with heart”

“I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador. My dream always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador.”

“I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.”

“The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity.”

Unfortunately for Caicedo, Brighton hold all the power here. He has a contract until 2025 and the Albion are under no pressure to sell in January unless Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or anyone else make an offer which is too good to turn down.

What would that fee look like? £100 million is being quoted by numerous sources, so almost certainly something in excess of the £89 million world record fee for a midfielder set by Paul Pogba to Manchester United in 2016.

The Albion have shown with Cucurella and Trossard that they will not be bulled into a sale. Cucurella tried to force through a move when Manchester City offered £30 million. Tony Bloom stood firm until his valuation was met and Cucurella went to Chelsea for £62 million.

Trossard scuttled off on the Eurostar after his agent said Brighton had to sell when Spurs bid £12 million. Bloom refused to sanction Trossard’s departure until Arsenal paid £27 million.

Caicedo and his agents can issue all the public statements that they like – history shows us that Brighton under Bloom are never held to ransom and do not sell unless the deal a good one for the club; as Cucurella and Trossard eventually were.

The Albion have made their stance clear to Caicedo. According to David Ornstein at The Athletic, Caicedo has been told to stay away from training until February 1st when the transfer window has closed and will not feature in the FA Cup against Liverpool.

Brighton then expect him to play his part in the second half of the campaign, helping Roberto De Zerbi in his quest to bring European football to Sussex for the first time ever.

The situation has shades of Elliott Bennett in January 2011. Bennett was the subject of a £1.5 million bid from Norwich City.

After Bloom rejected the approach from the Canaries, Bennett handed in a transfer request. When it became clear Brighton were not going to sanction a sale, Bennett knuckled down on the understanding that he would be allowed to leave in the summer once he had helped the Albion achieve promotion from League One.

Fast forward five months and Bennett ended the campaign with an frankly ridiculous return of eight goals and 20 assists in all competitions as Gus Poyet He Who Must Not Be Named’s Brighton side sauntered to the 2010-11 League One title.

Bennett was named in the PFA League One Team of the Year, had a winners medal around his neck and departed for Norwich with the well wishes of everyone at the Albion.

As for Caicedo, there are three ways this gets resolved. Either Arsenal offer enough money to convince Bloom it is in the interests of the Albion to sell.

Should that not happen, Caicedo can act like a professional and continue to give his all for Brighton until the summer.

Or he can refuse to play, and we have already seen how De Zerbi deals with individuals who take that course of action. Hopefully he enjoys fives months on the sidelines and training with the Under 21s.

Whatever happens, you can bet that Bloom will come up on top. He always does.