Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo dominated headlines during the January transfer window.
Both Chelsea and Arsenal were keen to bring the 21-year-old to London, with the Blues bidding £55 million to prise him away from the Amex Stadium before the Gunners saw offers worth £60 million and £70 million rebuffed by the Seagulls. The Ecuadorian international then issued a statement asking to leave the south-coast club, clearly keen to seize the opportunity of a move to a so-called big six club.
“I am grateful to Mr. Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best for them", his social media post read. "I always play football with a smile and with heart. I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador.
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“My dream always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador. I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.”
However, Brighton dug their heels in and made it clear to both Arsenal and Chelsea that their star midfielder was not for sale at any price. Now, Brighton captain Lewis Dunk has spoken about how his teammates reacted to the saga, claiming that his actions during the winter window are now water under the bridge.
"He’s a young boy and we stick with him. He’s a great lad and obviously a fantastic player,” Dunk told talksport. “Who knows how long we’ll have him for and we’re grateful to have him for at least the rest of the season and hopefully for longer.
“I think it’s a massive statement from the club, standing their ground. Obviously we’ve sold players over the years to bigger clubs but I think it’s a great statement to show that we want to keep him and I think rightly so.
“Obviously it was a difficult situation for him and these things happen in football. It’s not the first and won’t be the last time players at a football club having this going on over their head.”
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