Roberto De Zerbi drops Chelsea insult amid Moises Caicedo battle
By Evan Curnew
The Premier League Summer Series is set to kick off in the United States. Two teams participating in the pre-season tournament are Chelsea and Brighton. While both clubs will battle it out on the field on July 22, there’s a battle going on off the field. It is not a secret any longer that Chelsea really wants to sign Brighton’s Moises Caicedo. It has been widely reported that the Ecuadorian midfielder has agreed to personal terms with the club. It is now a matter of Chelsea caving into Brighton’s demands, but there’s been a standstill for some weeks now. In a recent press conference [transcribed by Fabrizio Romano], Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi was fired up about the transfer rumour.
"De Zerbi: “Caicedo stays with us until my owner changes his mind. No idea of what can happen in the future — but if Moises leaves we have to find the right player”“We have to substitute him with a great player because this year we play in the Europa League unlike Chelsea”"
It’s not very often you see a manager get firey like that unless it’s Jose Mourinho. De Zerbi clearly has had enough of the questions about Moises Caicedo. He’s not wrong about Brighton having to find a great Caicedo replacement though. While they have added Mahmoud Dahoud, he is not a like-for-like replacement for Moises Caicedo. James Milner can play in the defensive midfield slot, but his best days are obviously behind him.
That wasn’t all De Zerbi had to say recently as he continues to troll Chelsea about Caicedo. Levi Colwill, who went on loan to Brighton last season from Chelsea, is someone the Seagulls would love to have back.
https://twitter.com/TheSecretScout_/status/1682758510218563584?s=20
There’s a good chance this ends with Moises Caicedo at Chelsea, but Roberto De Zerbi wants the world to know Brighton won’t just roll over. In the last couple of seasons, the club has seen the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Marc Cucurella, Yves Bissouma, Leandro Trossard and Graham Potter all poached from them. Now with Europa League football for next season, the club wants to put their foot down on clubs thinking they will easily get what they want.