Arsenal backed for Moises Caicedo signing

Arsenal have been backed to sign Moises Caicedo by journalist Kim Kothari.

The Lowdown: Caicedo on the move?

Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Caicedo has been one of the hotly linked names of the winter window, with elite Premier League sides queueing up for his services.

Previously touted as a “concrete option” for Chelsea by Fabrizio Romano (via GiveMeSport) as well as a switch to Liverpool, The Telegraph has now reported that the Gunners have joined the race for the 21-year-old.

However, the Ecuadorian won’t come cheap, with Duncan Castles reporting the Seagulls have placed a £100m valuation on the midfielder.

The Latest: Kothari’s comments

Speaking on Sky Sports, Kothari discussed the potential switch to north London and urged Mikel Arteta’s side to make a swoop for his services, saying:

“I think you look at that transfer and you see £75m, it does seem a lot of money, but there’s always been a case of teams in fantastic form going into the winter break, going into the January transfer window, not building on it and faltering later in the season.

“They’re doing good business, and I think this would be quite a big statement signing. It seems like a lot of money, of course, £75m as I’ve said, but he’s a very, very, very good player.

“He probably will be playing backup at the moment but Arsenal have been quite lucky with injuries so far this season, so if anything happens in that midfield, he’s going to be a fantastic replacement to have – especially come the end of the season.”

Will Arsenal win the league?

Yes

No

The Verdict: Huge fee

Although Caicedo has proved his undoubted ability for the Seagulls this season with him starting 18 of their 19 league games this season, incidentally only missing the Arsenal clash.

He’s only appeared in 31 games for the Sussex side to date, making a £75m-£100m price tag a huge gamble to match given his lack of experience.

With Kothari revealing that it looks as though Caicedo would arrive as a backup to Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka who have averaged the sixth and seventh highest average Arsenal rating in the league this season (via WhoScored), it poses more questions on what would be a club-record fee for a player not guaranteed to start.

According to The Guardian, Arteta has admitted a new midfielder could come in to replace Mohamed Elneny whose knee injury looks more serious than first feared, but paying a fee up to £100m for a backup doesn’t make sense.