Moises Caicedo named best U23 holding midfielder in the world ahead of rival talents

Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo has been named the best holding midfielder under the age of 23 in the world by the CIES Football Observatory for last season.

Caicedo cost Chelsea a British record £115m in the summer of 2023, having made his name in the Premier League with Brighton & Hove Albion. The Seagulls had earlier agreed a slightly smaller deal with Liverpool, but Chelsea upped the price and got it over the line.

With Caicedo having only one full season of Premier League football under his belt at that time, the enormous sum raised eyebrows, as did Chelsea’s subsequent struggles on the pitch.

But the Ecuador international’s’ performances across 2023/24 commanded a rating of 86.7 out of 100 in the eyes of the CIES Football Observatory. That number was higher than any other holding midfielder in the same junior age bracket.

Eduardo Camavinga (83.1), Warren Zaire-Emery (81.6), Kobbie Mainoo (80.2) and Ryan Gravenberch (79.0) featured in the rest of the top five but all scored lower than Caicedo.

Sceptics quickly pointed out that Camavinga played a significant role in Real Madrid securing a rare La Liga and Champions League double. Meanwhile, Zaire-Emery played 43 times across all competitions for a Paris Saint-Germain side that won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France. Mainoo’s breakthrough at Manchester United also underpinned their FA Cup triumph.

But Caicedo’s performances seemed to more directly hit the criteria to build the biggest score.

The 22-year-old has played almost every minute for Chelsea in the Premier League so far this season, only rested in the Carabao Cup and for the second leg of the club’s Conference League play-off. He has even captained the side on two occasions, against Bournemouth and Servette.

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