Caicedo, 23, struggled in his debut season at Chelsea following his £115 million move from Brighton. Now, just over two years on, he is delivering performances that are making that hefty fee look increasingly like a bargain.
His performance in Chelsea’s dramatic 2-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday (October 4), in which he scored an absolute screamer, is just the latest. So, it begs the questions, should Caicedo now be considered the best midfielder in the Premier League?
The numbers are insane
First Chelsea had N’golo Kante covering every blade of grass, now they have Caicedo. The man simply doesn’t stop, he is a unicorn of a defensive midfielder, the type of player that only comes around once in a blue moon.
Caicedo has played every minute of Chelsea’s Premier League campaign so far this season, already making 38 recoveries, 18 interceptions, a league high, averaging 2.6 a game with only Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana ahead of him with 2.9.
He’s a high-volume tackler, topping the Premier League charts with 24, level with Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell Caicedo also leads the way in terms of interceptions with 17, four more than closest competitor, Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams.
One of the most underappreciated aspects of Caicedo’s game is his passing. Many are so focused on what he does off the ball, what he does with it is often overlooked, but his teammates will certainly be grateful.
Across his seven Premier League games, he’s made 398 successful passes at a rate of 91.3%. His teammates appear to have immense faith in his ability to start attacks too, as he’s had 558 touches so far.
Caicedo has been somewhat type cast as an industrious defensive midfielder who’s only job is winning the ball back, and he is, but he’s also creative. Simply put, as the numbers suggest, he has it all.
Adding goals to his game
Remarkably, Caicedo is currently Chelsea’s top Premier League goal scorer with three, scoring his first in the 5-1 win over West Ham, his second in the 2-2 with Brentford, and his latest in the win over Liverpool.
Admittedly, those three goals have come from an xG of 0.52, so he is massively over exceeding expectations, but he’s only had a total of eight shots, four of which have been on target. Caicedo has already surpassed last season’s goal tally of two.
Partner Enzo Fernandez is the only central midfielder to have matched his scoring prowess so far this season, also scoring three, with the closest non-Chelsea counterparts being Joao Palinha and Ryan Gravenberch, both with two.
It’s still early days, no one’s expecting Caicedo to post Frank Lampard numbers this season, but it’s clear he’s been working on that side of his game. Among Chelsea fans, there’s a running joke that he only scores bangers, but as the saying goes, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Who else could claim the title?
It’s hard comparing Caicedo to players like Declan Rice and Rodri, simply because they are vastly different types of midfielders, but over the past few seasons, those two have been the best of the best.
Rodri’s ongoing injury issues would suggest the Ballin d’Or winner’s best days have come and gone. After picking up what appeared to be a muscle injury in the 1-0 win over Brentford, he’s only managed 15 games across all competitions since the start of 2024-25.
Gravenberch had a tremendous campaign last season but struggled to find his feet in Arne Slot’s much-changed Liverpool side this time around. He’s one of several players that are clearly missing Trent Alexander-Arnold’s inverting presence.
Arsenal’s Declan Rice is the only player who can currently be mentioned in the same breath as Caicedo. The England international has been outstanding for Mikel Arteta’s side, who must now be considered among the Premier League title favourites.
Mikel Arteta’s 4-3-3 system gives Rice license to effect the game further up the field, while Chelsea’s midfield two does limit Caicedo in that regard.
Verdict
As an individual, Caicedo has to be considered the best midfielder in the Premier League at the moment, but opinion will ultimately be swayed by what happens come the end of the season.
Silverware speaks volumes, and if Arsenal win the title as they should, it would be hard to argue against Rice.