According to the latest from Fabrizio Romano on the House of Champions podcast, Arsenal actually agreed the terms to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion in January. However, Brighton blocked the move from materialising in the end, but Arsenal would like to re-enter negotiations to sign the Ecuadorian midfielder in the summer.
This means the club isn’t put off by the newest contract extension which Caicedo signed, or should I say, felt forced to sign, after he couldn’t guarantee the move to Arsenal.
Realistically, Arsenal need to sign a quality midfielder in the summer. They are just a midfielder and a defensive signing away from being real challengers again next season. With Moises Caicedo the master of the number 6 role, he could either act as a teammate to Partey or provide some healthy competition – either way, his signing would actually elevate Partey.
The Top Flight reported the 4 midfield players which Arsenal are considering for the summer transfer window and Moises Caicedo is of course one of them. His brilliant shielding of the ball and ability to transition from midfield to attack makes him the perfect option for this Arteta system which plays on the front foot.
It is unlikely that Arsenal will sign both Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, for two reasons. Firstly, their price tags make it near impossible to sign both of them, even despite Kroenke’s openness to investing in the squad. Secondly, they both play a similar role, so signing both of them plus hosting Partey makes no sense.
I still do think that the Gunners will sign Rice. West Ham will be much easier to negotiate with than Brighton. Furthermore, Rice is the preferred option, with the Gunners not shying away from their interest.
Who do you think Arsenal will sign in the summer transfer window?