Failed transfers seem to leave many unanswered questions. One such failed transfer that must have left some questions for Gooners is the failed winter pursuit of Moises Caicedo.
The Brighton man was the one Mikel Arteta identified as the missing link in his midfield in his quest to run away with the 2022–23 league title. Unfortunately, three bids of over £60 million didn’t convince the Seagulls to let their midfield engine go.
The first question in Caicedo’s failed pursuit was, Why did Brighton reject those rich bids from Arsenal? Brighton CEO Paul Barber explained to the Beautiful Game Podcast that their project and ambitions were heavily reliant on Caicedo and that letting him go in the middle of the season would be a mistake.
“For us in January selling Moises was not a good move,” Barber said about the plans being anchored on Caicedo. “He was one of our best players at the beginning of the season, and we were in a great position in the league, still in the FA Cup and there was a lot of football to play.
“We want to try and achieve our best-ever finish in the Premier League and if we do that there is a chance that we could qualify for European competitions.
“The stakes were big for us in the second half of the season, and Moises was a big part of that.”
Other than being a key part of their plans this season, the Brighton CEO admitted that it was too early for Caicedo to take the next step and that they had to be selfish and guide him on what was best for him, but only for then, as they are sure a time will be reached for the Ecuadorian to take the next step.
“He is also a young player who is still learning his game,” Barber added. “He is far away from the country that he was born in, and therefore we have a responsibility to do the best for the player long-term as well as in the short-term for us.
“We felt that was best served by keeping Moises with us, trying to do the best we can for the rest of this season and what will be in the future will be.
“Moises is a top-class player and such a lovely, and he has the potential to be anything that he wants to be, so this won’t be the only transfer window where Moises is a popular attraction for other clubs.”
Listening to the Brighton boss’ admission of why they didn’t let Caicedo go answers a lot of questions, but for Gooners, I guess the biggest question they’ll want to be answered is now that the Brighton man signed a new deal a few weeks ago, will Arsenal still have an interest in trying to sign him come to the transfer window?
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