Moises Caicedo signs new Brighton contract through to 2027
For a man who is deeply unhappy at Brighton and was told by Arsenal fans to consider taking the Albion to an employment tribunal to force through a move to the Emirates Stadium, Moises Caicedo signing a new contract to stay with the Albion until 2027 seems like a strange move.
The midfielder was the subject of intense transfer speculation in January with both Chelsea & Hove Albion and Arsenal bidding for his services in the final week of the winter window.
Brighton though were steadfast that they would not sell one of their most important players with Europe and the FA Cup within their grasp.
That stance did not change even when Caicedo’s new agents released a statement on his Instagram account, saying he wanted to leave.
Their attempts to force through a move backfired spectacularly. Roberto De Zerbi told him to stay away from training until the window shut, denying Caicedo the opportunity to go for the nuclear option of striking.
Once January passed and Caicedo remained a Brighton player, he was integrated back into De Zerbi’s first team. And since returning to the starting XI against Crystal Palace, Caicedo has been in arguably his best form of the season.
Clearly, a month is a long time in football. Four weeks on from the Albion keeping Caicedo drawing comparisons to slavery by some of the more excitable Arsenal supporters out there, he is willingly choosing to extend his time at the Amex by two seasons on his original contract which ran until 2025 with an option for a further year.
Of course, it remains unlikely that Caicedo will stay a Brighton player until 2027 or 2028. If he continues to perform the way he has since breaking into the side last April, then there will be renewed interest this summer.
Arsenal, Chelsea or another one of the European Super League Elite Six might even submit a bid which comes close to matching what Tony Bloom wants for Caicedo. In which case, it will cheerio no matter how fresh or long Caicedo’s contract.
What the new deal does do however is strengthen the Albion’s position for when those offers do arrive. It also gives Caicedo a significant pay rise on the 10 shillings and two satsumas a week he was receiving with an upgraded wage better reflecting his status as one of Brighton’s best players.
The impact Caicedo has had on Brighton since breaking into the side at the end of last season is, frankly, phenomenal. Before Caicedo made his Premier League debut away at Arsenal, the Albion had lost six games in a row followed by a 0-0 home draw with rock bottom Norwich City.
Brighton had scored only once in that barren run and were without a goal at the Amex since January, leaving the Albion home crowd with nothing to cheer for three months.
The Seagulls famously beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates, sparking an upturn in form which saw them secure a highest ever finish of 9th in the Premier League.
That form continued into the new season, first under Glow Up Graham Potter and then Roberto De Zerbi. Of 29 Premier League games Caicedo has played in, Brighton have won 15 and lost only eight.
You could even make a pretty strong case that Caicedo is the reason Potter got the Chelsea job. The Blues would not have touched Potter with a bargepole had the Albion’s form pre-Caicedo continued.
At a time when rumours linking a Brighton player with a move elsewhere are a daily occurrence, Moises Caicedo signing a new Brighton contract does at least give Seagulls supporters a glimmer of hope that these heady days we are currently enjoying might be sustainable.
Or at least until Chelsea pay £700 million for Caicedo in the summer.
