- Moises Caicedo admits pressure from huge transfer fee kept him from performing well last year
- The player revealed that Mauricio Pochettino has helped him regain his confidence.
- Chelsea appoint Enzo Maresca as new coach
Chelsea’s Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo has admitted that his first season at Stamford Bridge was difficult and that he lost confidence in his ยูฟ่าเบท game due to the pressure of his huge transfer fee.
Caicedo joined Chelsea from Brighton for a fee believed to be in the region of £100m, which could rise to £115m depending on performances, a record fee in England. Over the past year, the 22-year-old has scored one goal and provided four assists in 48 appearances in all competitions, helping the team to a sixth-place finish.
The former Brighton midfielder said: “The beginning was difficult for me because you are at a big club, you come for a lot of money, you have to win every game. It was really difficult for me because when I was at Brighton there was less pressure, but at Chelsea it was different.
“I feel a lot of pressure because you know the club, the history and the players who have been there. But after four or five months I feel much more comfortable at the club. I have confidence and I know I am a player who can contribute to the team. But sometimes if you are not mentally strong it is difficult to get through that.”
Meanwhile, Caicedo has praised former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino for playing a key role in his return to form, saying: “There are a lot of people around me who help me, and so do Mauricio and his staff.”
“They were there for me when I felt I wasn’t the same Moises. I told them, ‘Please help me,
because I want to be the same person again. Of course, they were always there for me, and there were a lot of people outside the club who helped me a lot to take the pressure off my mind.
“The guys I talk to all the time tell me, Moises, you are a good player. You can do everything you want on the pitch with responsibility. Just believe in yourself. If Chelsea pay you that amount of money, it’s because you are a very good player.”
Chelsea have undergone a major change this season after club owner Todd Boehly decided to sack Pochettino as manager and appointed former Leicester City Italian coach Enzo Maresca as his replacement.
“He (Maresca) has given me the same system that I played at Brighton, he wants the same, he wants me to show my quality and character, try to show my teammates that I am a big man on the pitch,” Caicedo said.
Meanwhile, during the move from Brighton to Chelsea, Liverpool had already agreed a £111m deal with the Seagulls before Caicedo opted to move to Chelsea and he admitted it was a difficult decision.
“Chelsea tried to convince me and stay with me for two or three months. I couldn’t say no because they were with me in a difficult time. But of course, 100 per cent, I knew I wanted to come to Chelsea and it happened,” Caicedo concluded.