48 tackles and interceptions – Chelsea finally look like they’ve replaced a club legend



Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo is really starting to show his best form for the Blues now after initially making a bit of a slow start in his first season at Stamford Bridge last year.

The Ecuador international always looked like an elite talent in the making after his impressive form during his time at Brighton, and we’re now seeing him produce the goods in a Chelsea shirt too.

In fact, Caicedo’s stats this season are so good, that he’s showing signs of finally giving Chelsea a much-needed long-term replacement for the legendary N’Golo Kante.

See below as Opta show Caicedo has a combined 48 tackles and interceptions so far this season, with his per 90 average comparable to what we used to see from Kante at his peak…

48 – Moisés Caicedo has the most combined tackles and interceptions in the Premier League this season (48), while his per 90 average (5.4) is the highest by a Chelsea player in a single season since N'Golo Kanté (5.8) in 2020-21. General. pic.twitter.com/xyuGfIBynG

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 27, 2024

Caicedo’s current numbers put him top of the Premier League for tackles and interceptions, and that’s just what CFC fans will be thrilled to see from the 22-year-old, who did not come cheap when he joined from Brighton.

Moises Caicedo finally justifying his transfer fee?

As per BBC Sport‘s report at the time, Caicedo cost an initial £100m, potentially rising to a record-breaking £115m.

Moises Caicedo in action for Chelsea against Newcastle (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

With that kind of money going into the player, you can understand some Chelsea fans being impatient to see the young South American performing at a world class level straight away.

Football is rarely that simple, however, and Caicedo perhaps didn’t quite settle under previous Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, with the west London giants looking a lot better under Enzo Maresca this term.


 

Caicedo looks like he could now become a real leader in this Chelsea team, doing the dirty work that allows others like Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson to shine in attack.

Kante seemed like a bit of a one-of-a-kind for Chelsea, but the Blues actually look like they’ve managed to replace their former star pretty successfully and pretty quickly.