Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has praised Moises Caicedo despite the Gunners failing to complete a January deal for the Ecuador midfielder.
Caicedo was one of two targets the Gunners missed out on in January, along with Ukrainian winger Mykhaylo Mudryk. They have kept their lead at the top of the Premier League table, though, with new arrivals Jorginho and Caicedo's former Brighton team-mate Leandro Trossard playing their part.
Arsenal remain five points clear after coming from behind to beat Bournemouth on Saturday. However, Wright hasn't forgotten about Caicedo, admitting he would still love to see the midfield man in north London despite him signing a new Seagulls deal during the week.
"I wish [he was playing for Arsenal], I can't lie," Wright said after Caicedo starred in Brighton's 4-0 win against West Ham. "You have to mention [Kaoru] Mitoma, because he's been brilliant again. But I think Caicedo, the way this has panned out because of the transfer and everything that was going on with that.
"It could have turned his head, and I think that for him to get himself going again. I wouldn't expect anything less from Brighton, because they're a fantastic club and he seems like a very good guy.
"What he's doing is what he does best, and it's the reason why there's so many clubs after him, not only Arsenal. You can see him already scanning [the play off the ball] and [he] knows where he's going to get the ball. Very good player.
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Caicedo joined Brighton for just £4.5million from Independiente del Valle midway through the 2020-21 season, eventually making his Premier League debut after a stint on loan in Belgium. He has grown into a key man this term, stepping up after Yves Bissouma moved to Tottenham.
The 21-year-old posted a heartfelt message on social media in January amid interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, appearing to pave the way for his exit, but failed to secure a move away from the Amex Stadium. Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi was prepared to forgive Caicedo and ultimately brought him back into the fold.
"Moises is a good guy," De Zerbi said after leaving the player out of his squad for an FA Cup clash with Liverpool in January. "We will see what happens tomorrow and the next day. We hope he stays with us until the end of the season, but this is a question of the club and Moises.
“In life, you can make mistakes," the former Sassuolo boss added. "There are many solutions for everyone and we will see the best solution for the club, for him and for us."
