Moises Caicedo has admitted that a phone call with Enzo Fernandez helped him decide to join Chelsea, rather than Liverpool, this summer.
After weeks of talks between Chelsea and Brighton and a number of failed bids, it was Liverpool who first swooped in and agreed a fee to sign Caicedo during the summer transfer window.
Caicedo, however, declined to enter into talks with Liverpool and instead kept his focus solely on Chelsea, waiting for the Blues to eventually agree a British-record fee of £115m to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
The Ecuadorian’s agent previously revealed that Caicedo moved to west London because he’d already given his word – a sentiment echoed by Brighton CEO Paul Barber during the summer.
But another factor appears to have been in play for Caicedo himself, involving Chelsea’s former record signing Fernandez.
“I called and told him that he had to accept and come because Chelsea is a great and ambitious club,” Fernandez revealed. “And I have to thank God for giving me the chance to play alongside him at Chelsea because we all know the great player he is, but he is also a fantastic person, so I’m thankful he chose Chelsea.”
On the impact of that conversation, Caicedo explained: “It was a nice chat. I mean, the fact that a world champion was phoning you, one of the best midfielders in the world… receiving that call was very nice and he convinced me to come here.
“He said it was a great club, that there are many young players, there was a togetherness here. I have always enjoyed the bond in a team because I think that, if there is that bond, we can deal with any situation we may face: pressure, everything. So, that’s what motivated me to come here.
Leave a Reply