Moises Caicedo’s presentation as a Chelsea player was delayed to avoid an ‘awkward’ situation with Liverpool, according to his agent.
The 21-year-old was at the centre of a titanic tussle between the Premier League heavyweights who coincidentally faced off on the opening weekend of the season.
The Reds had agreed a £111m transfer for the starlet with his club Brighton and looked to have hijacked a deal Chelsea had been working on for most of the summer.
However, Caicedo’s insistence on a move to Stamford Bridge opened the door for Mauricio Pochettino‘s side to re-enter negotiations and secure a £115million transfer. He was unveiled as a Chelsea player a day after their 1-1 draw with Liverpool.
‘They had the handicap that the first game of the season was Chelsea v Liverpool,’ Manuel Sierra told Futbol sin Cassette. ‘It would have been a bit awkward to present it on the day they play against each other.
Moises Caicedo finally completed a £115m-British record transfer to Chelsea in August
Manuel Sierra admitted that Liverpool’s ‘more established and stable project’ was ‘dizzying’
Chelsea and Liverpool played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the new season
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‘It’s like an unwritten agreement to not laugh in each other’s faces. So, in the end, after the game ended, they gave us the green light, he passed the medical examination, and on Monday, we were presenting him.’
Chelsea completed a double swoop of Liverpool targets with the acquisition of Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia. Jurgen Klopp turned to Stuttgart and Japan captain Wataru Endo as a short-term solution to their defensive midfield issues.
Earlier in the window Liverpool’s attention in the market was focused on the additions of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, while Chelsea maintained regular contact with Caicedo.
Sierra revealed that the Blues’ faithful courtship swung the balance in favour of a switch to west London but admitted the ‘more established and stable project’ at Anfield was ‘dizzying’.
‘In the end, it’s very complicated,’ he added. ‘Imagine that you’re being written to and called by Jurgen Klopp, that Liverpool is calling you.
Despite Jurgen Klopp’s best efforts, the Reds missed out on their target to their league rivals
Caicedo has settled in to Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI and has started two of the five game he has appeared in for the Stamford Bridge outfit
‘We’re talking about something really big, one of the best teams in the world, just like Chelsea. Well, with a more established and stable project than what Chelsea has today, which is a very ambitious project looking ahead to two years.
‘So, when Liverpool comes and approaches you in that way, obviously Moises gets dizzy, I even get dizzy myself.
‘But Chelsea was by our side all along, asking us, not for much time, they were asking for an hour, I mean, just an hour, so that Brighton could tell them the conditions to match the offer.’
After a shaky start to life in the capital, Caicedo has begun to establish himself at the heart of Pochettino’s team and is forming an exciting relationship with Enzo Fernandez.
