Clinton Morrison thinks Arsenal might land their January transfer target – Moises Caicedo – following comments from Brighton boss, Roberto De Zerbi, ahead of deadline day.
Following Brighton’s last-gasp win over Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday, De Zerbi said he is hopeful of keeping Caicedo, but he is also ‘ready to move forward without him’, as he told Sky Sports.
For former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison, that suggests the Seagulls ‘could lose’ their sought-after midfielder, with Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans identified as an alternative if they can’t land Caicedo.
The footballing world knows and understands Caicedo’s stance because he went public about wanting to head for the Amex Stadium exit door a couple of days ago.
It’s just now a case of whether Tony Bloom will sell yet another one of his players to Arsenal, who need that defensive cover in the middle of the park, especially given Thomas Partey’s recent injury scare.
The clock is ticking on Edu Gaspar, so can he get this deal over the line? One person certainly thinks it will happen, as he told Sky Sports News (29/01/23).
“I don’t know about putting out the statement on Instagram, I don’t know who advised him to do that,” said Morrison. “You should just let both parties deal with what’s going on.
“He’s a good player. There are a lot of top teams watching him. Chelsea were interested. Now Arsenal are interested because there might be an injury to Thomas Partey, if you look at it, and Partey isn’t in that Arsenal team, then it’s a huge blow.
“I think Caicedo has had an outstanding season for Brighton. He’s a very good player. Box-to-box. He can break-up play and keeps it simple, so he fits the bill at Arsenal. It’s a difficult one because Brighton are flying and they have an outside chance of getting into Europe, then you can go to Arsenal, who are top of the league and have a great chance of winning it. These opportunities don’t come along too often, so it’s a hard call for Caicedo to make. But you know what he wants, he wants to go to Arsenal.
On De Zerbi’s comments: “I think the way De Zerbi spoke, it’s pure class because he is basically saying ‘if he stays, then there is still a future there at the club’. By the sounds of it, they could lose him. He said he ‘hopes he stays’.”
DOUGLAS LUIZ ALL OVER AGAIN…
It has to be questioned why Arsenal have put themselves in this situation again, after the saga surrounding Douglas Luiz in the summer.
The Premier League leaders left that one late, very late in fact, putting in bid after bid on summer transfer deadline day, only for Aston Villa to hold firm and not sell.
The Brazil international has since signed a new deal at Villa Park and it wouldn’t be a surprise if late bids are also being put in for Caicedo late on during deadline day.
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