De Zerbi did not tell Caicedo Brighton would sell him this summer
Just as the whole Moises Caicedo to Chelsea transfer saga was becoming enough to bore everyone to tears, Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi goes and spices things up and with just over 24 hours before the sides face off in Philadelphia.
It has long been assumed that when Caicedo signed a new Albion contract back in March, he must have been given some sort of promise that Tony Bloom would be more open to listening to reasonable offers in the summer having flat-out rejected the prospect of a sale in January.
The Seagulls are well-known for “not doing” release clauses, Alexis Mac Allister being the rare exception. Liverpool took advantage of that, signing the World Cup winner for a knock down fee of £35 million rising to £55 million earlier in the transfer window.
And whilst Caicedo’s fresh deal has no official clause in it, Brighton have previously struck informal gentleman’s agreements with players regarding future sales.
Take Elliott Bennett for example, a situation in 2011 which was remarkably similar to Caicedo 12 years later. Bennett wanted a January move to Norwich City, handing in a transfer request after Bloom turned down a £1.5 million bid.
Bloom told Bennett he wold not be sold mid-season with the Albion chasing the League One title, but he would be allowed to depart if he knuckled down and help Gus Poyet He Who Must Not Be Named’s side win promotion to the Championship.
Bennett duly did that. He finished the season with an extraordinary return of eight goals and 20 assists from out wide and when Norwich returned for his services in the summer, Bloom sanctioned the move to Carrow Road.
Fabrizio Romano has long been reporting that De Zerbi gave similar assurances to Caicedo. In May, Romano tweeted: “Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi told Moises Caicedo in January to stay at the club until June despite huge bids… and then promised to sell him in the summer in case of good proposal.”
Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi told Moises Caicedo in January to stay at the club until June despite huge bids… and then promised to sell him in the summer in case of good proposal 🔵🇪🇨 #BHAFC
Pact will be respected; Chelsea are still keen on Caicedo but it’s 3 clubs race. pic.twitter.com/fwWq1DBYp7
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 30, 2023
In June, Romano again reminded everyone of the “pact” De Zerbi had struck with Caicedo: “Chelsea know well that Caicedo has a pact with de Zerbi since February: in case important proposal arrives, he will leave the club. Blues are really pushing on Moises as important target. More to follow soon.”
Chelsea know well that Caicedo has a pact with de Zerbi since February: in case important proposal arrives, he will leave the club. 🔵🇪🇨 #CFC
Blues are really pushing on Moisés as important target. More to follow soon. https://t.co/rVApe9bFvD
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 15, 2023
With Chelsea fans taking Romano’s word as gospel, De Zerbi was quizzed on the agreement he had apparently made with Caicedo ahead of Brighton facing the Blues in the opening game of the Premier League Summer Series.
“No it’s not true because I am coach, not owner, coach, not sporting director,” said De Zerbi. It is the answer all Albion fans would have expected; De Zerbi coaches the team (to take six points off Chelsea and finish six places above them), Bloom, Paul Barber and technical director David Weir handle player sales.
“Believe me, it is difficult to be a coach. In my work, I am used to speaking with my players every day, for every question, every part of life, not only football. But I didn’t give my word for nothing.
“We didn’t speak about the next transfer market window and for me, he is a player like the others. Okay, we are Brighton and I can understand we have to sell any player at the end of the season like Mac Allister.”
“But at the moment, I have not received news that Caicedo can leave tomorrow or in the next week. I start the next season with Caicedo in my head in the first XI, for sure.”
De Zerbi was also asked whether Caicedo was worth £100 million, a price tag first slapped on the midfielder with wonderful irony by Graham Potter a few weeks before Chelsea asset stripped the Albion of Glow Up and his entire first team coaching staff.
You may recall that four months after Potter said Caicedo was a £100 million player, he and his new employees bid £55 million.
Man who said Moises Caciedo was worth £100 million bids £55 million remains one of the most popular articles on WAB so far in 2023, largely because of how bloody ridiculous it was.
De Zerbi did not wish to enter the debate about the price tag on Caicedo: “You are asking not of my work, my work if you ask me about the full back or midfielder, inside of the pitch I can answer but about the price my work.”
“I think Caicedo is a player of the first XI and about the price, we have an owner, we have CEO, a sporting director who can decide the right price.”
De Zerbi has effectively labelled the story Romano had been pedalling for months about this “pact” between the head coach and Caicedo as untrue. Colour me shocked that Romano is a bit dishonest.
And whilst it might be true that Bloom or Barber agreed some sort of informal arrangement with Caicedo at the time his new contract was signed, you can be certain they would have said a sale will only happen if they get what they feel is a suitable price.
That is expected to be £100 million. De Zerbi with his comments might have poured a little more fuel on the fire and sent Chelsea fans online into a complete meltdown, but the situation remains relatively simple.
Caicedo is a Brighton player with a contract until 2027. The Albion value him at £100 million based on Declan Rice costing £105 million and Chelsea themselves paying £106.8 million for an inferior midfielder in Enzo Fernandez as recently as January.
If Chelsea want Caicedo, pay the money that Brighton want. Otherwise, he will remain a Seagull beyond the transfer window slamming shut at the end of August.
