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Chelsea have announced the signing of long-term target Moises Caicedo, after months of speculation surrounding the 21-year-old’s potential move. The Ecuadorian was unveiled as a Blues player on Monday, signing for a British-record fee of £115m.
Former club Brighton and Hove Albion will miss the reliable and combative midfielder, however the Seagulls will be delighted with the price acquired for the youngster, as well as the sell-on clause included in the deal.
Moises Caicedo is a Blue! 🔵
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 14, 2023
It was only January when the British transfer record was last broken by Todd Boehly through the £106.8m transfer of Enzo Fernandez, however seven months down the line, the American has done it again in recruiting the Argentine’s new partner.
In Caicedo, Chelsea have secured a midfield warrior and a 21-year-old with sufficient experience in the Premier League, but most importantly a player that wants to play for the club.
The transfer saga took many twists and turns last week alone, with Liverpool said to be close to striking a deal with Brighton, however the Ecuadorian only wanted a move to Stamford Bridge, subsequently forcing the Boehly to hand over the blockbuster asking fee.
Now that the starlet has arrived at the Bridge, it’s time to delve into the other areas confirmed alongside the deal, including the shirt number that the midfielder will wear.
What shirt number will Caicedo wear at Chelsea?
It has been confirmed by the club that Caicedo will adorn the number 25, a shirt number that was worn by the 21-year-old at Brighton following his graduation from the academy settings at the Amex.
It’s a significant deal for the Blues to gift the Ecuadorian the number, with him being the first player to sport it since the exit of club legend Gianfranco Zola. The Italian left the club back in 2003, and it had not been allocated since his departure, with the club’s record signing breaking the deadlock to sport the historic number.
Gianfranco Zola gave his blessing for Moises Caicedo to wear No.25 at Chelsea.🔵 pic.twitter.com/iNhCimR1Ix
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) August 16, 2023
As informed on Chelsea’s website, the 21-year-old contacted Zola to get his blessing to sport his former number, with the Blues legend responding with the following message:
“Hi Moises! Thank you for the message. I hope it will bring to you as many pleasures as it brought to me.
Good luck, Gianfranco.”
During his seven-season tenure in west London, Zola made 311 appearances in blue, scoring 79 goals and cementing himself in Chelsea folklore as one of the club’s greatest ever players – a legacy that Caicedo will dream of emulating.
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