Former Chelsea boss Graham Potter has explained why he believes midfielder Moises Caicedo had a difficult start to life at Chelsea.
Chelsea broke the British transfer record to sign Caicedo from Brighton in the summer of 2023 in a deal worth up to £115m.
Caicedo initially struggled following his move and had a debut to forget at West Ham as he gave away a penalty with the Blues slipping to a 3-1 defeat.
Potter on why Caicedo had a difficult start at Chelsea
The Ecuador international started to find his feet and put in a series of impressive performances towards the end of last season, including a goal of the season contender on the final day against Bournemouth.
Despite having a limited pre-season due to his participation in the Copa America for Ecuador, Caicedo looks like a player reborn under Enzo Maresca, with the Italian confirming the midfielder has been doing extra training to work on his weaknesses.
The former Brighton man has captained the Blues this season already and recently opened up on what that meant to him.
Caicedo’s initial struggles feel like a lifetime ago but former Chelsea manager Potter, who knows Caicedo well from their time at Brighton has explained why he feels the 22-year-old initially struggled.
“What people often misunderstand is that you have been watching a player who is playing a certain way, and functioning well in a well-functioning team,” he wrote in his column for BBC Sport.
“When you put him in a different situation, and in a team that is not functioning in the same way, you don’t get the same player, temporarily, anyway.
“They just need some help and support to get back to that point.
“You have to understand the context of the club he went to, because it is fair to say Chelsea were in a period of transition for a couple of years, including the time I was there as manager.”
Caicedo is now looking like the player he was at Brighton and he’s going to have a crucial role to play in Chelsea’s game against Liverpool on Sunday, with the midfield battle likely to be a key factor in the result.