As Chelsea FC continues to shape its midfield following the departures of Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Mason Mount, manager Mauricio Pochettino is faced with a £54.8m conundrum. The club's interest in Brighton's Moises Caicedo has been known since January, but progress has been slow. Now, as Chelsea prepares to face Brighton in the Premier League Summer Series in Philadelphia, a meeting with Caicedo seems imminent.
The transition in the midfield has been intensified with the arrival of Enzo Fernandez, but the Argentine is yet to find an obvious partner. The Blues are set to meet Caicedo's current club, Brighton, on Saturday, providing an opportunity for interested parties to discuss the Ecuadorian international's future. Behdad Eghbali, Paul Winstanley, and Laurence Stewart, Chelsea's sporting directors, are expected to be present in the USA, raising the possibility of discussions over the midfielder.
The uncertainty surrounding Caicedo's transfer has opened doors for other players. Conor Gallagher's future remains unpredictable, while Cesare Casadei and Andrey Santos have already earned opportunities against Wrexham and are likely to see some playing time against the Seagulls. Fernandez, who trained with the squad for the first time this week, is yet to be tested in tandem by Pochettino.
Pochettino has expressed his satisfaction with his midfield trio against Wrexham, stating, "The profile is very good, the two names and Carney also, and of course Casadei and Andrey. They have the profile. Only they need time. They are young. We cannot forget we are in Chelsea, the pressure is always to win. They need to have the place, to have time to evolve but yes the profile is good."
However, the future of the trio, signed for a combined £54.8m, remains as uncertain as Caicedo's. Pochettino added, "We will see what happens in the next few weeks. When we come back to England we will decide the future of these young players who maybe have future here or sometime can maybe be part of the squad."
As the season looms, Chelsea will hope to find some progress. More of their squad will be integrated over the weekend, and Pochettino hopes to instill his messages in time to play Liverpool. The longer the club has to wait over Caicedo, the more uncertainty that could consume plans for the rest of Chelsea's midfield. As the Blues discovered last term, uncertain futures do not yield positive results.
