Winners and losers: Ecuadorian club to get £23m as winners as Caicedo completes massive transfer

Chelsea have reportedly sealed an agreement with Brighton and Hove Albion for the British record transfer of defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo.

It ends a dramatic transfer saga of the last three days, in which Liverpool tried to hijack the move from the grasp of the Blues, who have courted the players for months, but the player preferred Stamford Bridge.

The two sides opened the season against each other, which infused extra bad blood into the game, which ended 1-1 and had both American owners, Todd Boehly and John Henry, in attendance.

Sports Brief looks at the winners and losers of the record deal, which of course, was not without extra tweaks and twists.

Winners

1. Brighton and Hove Albion

The selling club that managed to instigate a bidding war, of course, is the biggest winner. According to The Athletic's Andy Naylor, Brighton signed Caicedo from Independiente del Valle for £4m in January 2021.

Two-and-half years later, they've profited £111m in theory, which could be lesser due to conditions of add-ons and percentage sell-on to his former club.

2. Independiente del Valle

The Ecuadorian club inserted a 20% sell-on clause in the deal that took the player to England and are now set to receive a further £23m on top of what they initially sold the player and have their stars to thank the player who grew up and became a subject of a battle between big clubs.

3. Moises Caicedo

The 21-year-old from Santo Domingo, Ecuador, a city of a little over 500,000 people, is the most expensive British transfer; not sure in his wildest dreams he would have imagined that. He got his dream move to follow in the footsteps of his idol, N'golo Kante and also a better payday.

His stance on wanting only Stamford Bridge helped the Blues to secure his services on an eight-year contract, plus an option of another year.

4. Brighton fans

The South Coast fans have ceaselessly trolled the Blues, who have become obsessed with their club since Todd Boehly took over. As noted by Evening Standard's Nizaar Kinsella, the Amex inhabitants have received £218m from Boehly, including the fee paid for Graham Potter and his crew, who were sacked seven months later.

Their fans will continue rubbing Chelsea's face due to their Europa League involvement, with the Blues missing out on Europe after finishing 12th, a position Roberto De Zerbi mocked.

Losers

1. Chelsea

The Blues may appear like they came out with their priority transfer target, but nothing screams 'loser' than overpaying for a player because you claimed not to want to overpay in the first place.

Brighton were clear from the start, £100m or nothing, but the London club stood at £80m, eventually going £25m over their initial stance and £15m over the Seagulls' valuation, and still getting a ridiculous sell-on clause inserted, as noted by The Athletic's David Ornstein.

2. Liverpool

How do you explain unwillingness to spend £50m on Romeo Lavia, then submitting a bid of £111m for Caicedo? Yes, that is Liverpool. They are set to miss out both as Chelsea are advanced in their pursuit of the Belgian midfielder after Caicedo, but The Guardian reports the Anfield outfit have agreed £60m for the 19-year-old, £5m more than Chelsea's fee.

Di Marzio reported that Caicedo's move to Chelsea would have been announced before the two sides met at Stamford Bridge, but Brighton held on out of respect for the Reds.

3. Chelsea and Liverpool fans

The Reds fans took a massive slap to the face after their initial flamboyance, only for the player to turn their club down, but at least they know their owners have money to spend now.

The Blues fans who would be ashamed of themselves were those who convinced themselves that signing Robert Sanchez for £25m would help them get a discount for Caicedo, how hilarious.

Chelsea’s deals with Brighton in the last 12 months:
Moises Caicedo — £115m
Marc Cucurella — £62m
Robert Sanchez — £25m
Graham Potter — £21m
Overall — £218m https://t.co/yge3fzvQ88

— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) August 13, 2023