Brighton captain Lewis Dunk has insisted that the whole club is behind Moises Caicedo after he failed to force through a move to Arsenal in the January transfer window.
Caicedo, 21, was heavily pursued by the Gunners last month and was the subject of two failed bids from the Premier League leaders.
In a bid to clinch a dream move to the Emirates, Caicedo released a statement on social media where he expressed his desire to join Arsenal - but Brighton stood firm and refused to sell the Ecuador international. Arsenal instead sealed a £12million move for Chelsea midfielder Jorginho on transfer deadline day.
After Caicedo went public in a bid to force through a move, he was told by Brighton to stay away from training until the transfer window shut. However, he was back in the fold at the weekend during the Seagulls' 1-0 win over Bournemouth and was given a warm reception from the fans.
Dunk believes that Brighton's fans have done the right thing after choosing to stick by the youngster - and that the club were right to stand firm in the wake of Arsenal's interest as they chase European football.
The Seagulls skipper told talkSPORT : “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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“He’s a young boy and we stick with him. He’s a great lad and obviously a fantastic player. 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.”
Keeping hold of Caicedo is a huge boost for Brighton, who are currently sixth in the Premier League and on course for a record-breaking season.
The Seagulls lost the services of former boss Graham Potter and star left-back Marc Cucurella earlier in the season after both were poached by Chelsea, but the current squad have flourished under the guidance of Roberto De Zerbi.
The Brighton head coach had urged Seagulls fans to show their support to Caicedo prior to the weekend's meeting with Bournemouth and was delighted by their reaction following the midfielder's introduction from the bench. De Zerbi said: “For Moises, I’m really happy about the answer of our fans. I think together we are stronger – with Moises and with our fans, with their support.”
