Sangare, Tchouameni and 3 more Caicedo alternatives for Liverpool or Chelsea
Both Chelsea and Liverpool have sent offers to Brighton for Moises Caicedo, and while Liverpool had a £110m bid accepted for the 21-year-old, Chelsea are still trying to hijack the deal to win over the Ecuadorian.
As one of these clubs will miss out on the Brighton midfielder, we’ve picked out a list of alternatives that fit the profile of Caicedo, should either team be unable to seal the deal.
Arguably the most notable alternative for Caicedo, Romeo Lavia was a gem in the Southampton team that succumbed to relegation. Both Liverpool and Chelsea are keen on Lavia, and Chelsea’s interest has been there since last season having bid £50m for the Belgian midfielder in the January transfer window.
The 19-year-old started 26 league games for the Saints, and even scored his only goal for the club in their 2-1 win over the Blues in August. He completed 2.4 tackles per 90 in the Premier League last season, and made 1.3 interceptions per 90.
Chelsea are close to adding Tyler Adams to the ranks, but with the hunt for Caicedo potentially going cold, Lavia, with a season of Premier League experience behind him, could be a suitable option to start alongside Enzo Fernandez. He might be seen as more raw than the Ecuadorian, but Chelsea are long-term admirers.
The Real Madrid midfielder would be a fine addition to either squad. Tchouameni will be known to England fans after his bullet against the Three Lions for France at the 2022 World Cup, which opened the scoring in their quarter-final clash.
The former Monaco midfielder only moved to Madrid last summer and at 23, he could be the future of Real Madrid’s midfield, which might be a hinderance as part of any deal to sign the Frenchman. Both Liverpool and Chelsea have attack-minded midfielders in their ranks, with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai moving to Anfield, whereas Chelsea broke the bank for Enzo Fernandez in January.
Tchouameni started 29 games for Real Madrid last season, making 1.9 tackles per 90 minutes. He also conceded 1.5 fouls per 90, slightly higher than Lavia (1.1 fouls per 90) but slightly lower than Caicedo (1.9 fouls per 90).
Tchouameni can help in both the defensive and offensive third, but with the capable attacking signings in place, it might be worth targeting someone who is much more accomplished as a strict defensive player, as opposed to Tchouameni, who is more of an all rounder.
A stricter defensively minded player for both who wouldn’t necessarily break the bank would be PSV’s Ibrahim Sangare. At 25 years of age, he is slightly older than both Caicedo and Lavia, and is currently being linked with both Nottingham Forest and Bayern Munich.
The Ivorian has spent three seasons with PSV, but he certainly made a name for himself last term. Sangare not only made 2.7 tackles per 90 and only 1.3 fouls per 90, but also contributed with five goals and a single assist, completing the joint second most accurate through balls in the Eredivisie last season, highlighting his work rate and attacking vision from deep.
While that might not necessarily be a major factor of the role Sangare would play in a Chelsea and Liverpool midfield, it is certainly an important weapon to utilise. As a more experienced option, it might be worth looking at Sangare.
Florentino Luis has been subject to interest from Europe's elite, and he could well be a viable alternative to Moises Caicedo.
Florentino may be of particular interest to Chelsea considering their working relationship with Benfica, having agreed to sign Enzo Fernandez from the Portuguese side in January. Chelsea have signed a number of players join from Benfica, including David Luiz, Ramires and Nemanja Matic, and they might see fit to pair Fernandez with his former teammate.
💪 Most tackles per 90 in Liga Bwin last season (20+ apps):
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 16, 2023
🥇 Manuel Ugarte - 4.6
🥈 Afonso Taira - 4.0
🥉 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐨 - 𝟑.𝟓 pic.twitter.com/73lDV0aVy8
The Portuguese midfielder started 25 league games for Benfica last season as they won the title. In Liga Portugal last season, Luis completed 3.5 tackles per 90 minutes and returned a 90.1% pass success rate.
Liverpool have been linked with Florentino throughout the Caicedo saga, and he would be a fine addition to either midfield.
The final option on the list is Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana. Chelsea do have history with buying French defensive midfielders from Monaco with Tiemoue Bakayoko, and may steer clear of this option, but Liverpool might consider the Frenchman as a viable Caicedo alternative
Fofana is 24 and was a part of the France squad at the 2022 World Cup, all the while starting 35 league games for Monaco last season. He has played over 140 Ligue 1 games and has wealth of experience at the top level. He made 2.4 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per 90 in France's top tier last term.
He may not be an accomplished ball retainer in the same bracket as Florentino, have returned an 82.5% pass success rate last season, but averaged 0.9 key passes per 90, picking up two assists in the process.
Having lost N’Golo Kante this summer, Chelsea will want an all-action replacement, and Fofana could prove a sound capture, though Liverpool will undoubtedly be keeping a watchful eye on the Monaco man, too.
