When Moises Caicedo signed for Chelsea in a British record transfer during the summer it raised a few eyebrows, but the player’s agent has a very simple explanation as to why the Ecuadorian ended up at Stamford Bridge and not Anfield.
Todd Boehly authorised a stunning £115m transfer for the player, per The Guardian (subscription required) though he’s taking time to settle in his new surroundings.
It was never in doubt that he’d end up in west London rather than Merseyside, however.
That’s because the player had already given his word to Chelsea that he would sign for them over the Reds, whose interest apparently surprised Manuel Sierra.
“What happened is that in January [Chelsea] couldn’t pay,” the agent said to Ecuadorian channel, Football sin Cassette.
“They couldn’t go crazy because they had to go with one or the other, they couldn’t sign both [Enzo Fernandez and Caicedo] and I didn’t know what Brighton were going to ask for. Brighton were not going to sell even for £1billion.
“The issue of not going to Liverpool instead of Chelsea was also questioned a lot. The offers were similar in every way, the issue was a question of values, principles and of giving the floor to someone. When Liverpool’s offer arrived, Brighton were asked for time so that Chelsea could match it, they did, they surpassed it and he ended up at Chelsea because he had given his word to Chelsea for quite some time.
“Liverpool were always interested. We had meetings between January and May but since May we didn’t hear from them. Of course we were surprised that suddenly they appeared with [an offer] that they had said they couldn’t do.
“The first thing we were told was, ‘Tomorrow you have to go to Liverpool to have a medical’. Of course, what is our reaction going to be if we have not negotiated, we have not spoken, we have not seen anything since May?
“Our phone conversations were clear at all times, we were clear, as long as Chelsea offered the same conditions that Liverpool could. As I say they surpassed it, so there was no complaint.”
Time will tell if Boehly’s flex in the transfer market was a purchase worth making or not, and the time to judge will be at the end of the player’s first season at the club, not after a handful of games.
The American does seem to have allowed his ego to get in the way on numerous occasions since he began his tenure as owner of the club, but equally, given his financial commitment to it, one can’t doubt his seriousness of wanting to bring the glory days back to Chelsea.
If nothing else, his largesse shows that the Blues are a major player for Europe’s best young players once more.