"Sitting here, in October 2025, I think we can affirm that he is the best midfielder in the league." That is Gary Neville's opinion when talking about Moises Caicedo.
For a player who cost Chelsea £115 million, that sounds obvious. However, there is a feeling that it is only now, since moving to Stamford Bridge, that the Ecuador midfielder is truly appreciated and fully appreciated.
From the moment Caicedo was in the first team of Brighton, many people realized that he had something special. It didn't take long for experts to start comparing him to N'Golo Kante.
However, the huge transfer fee for Caicedo has made the expectations placed on him heavy.
Now, more than 2 years after that famous transfer deal, the huge burden of fees is not only taken off Caicedo's shoulders but also in the minds of fans. That opens up a new, more fair view of one of Enzo Maresca's most important names.
Caicedo has played every minute of the Premier League this season for Chelsea. He even scored another goal, thereby raising his total goals to 3 - surpassing the scoring record in the previous 2 seasons combined.
The value Caicedo brings to the Blues is undeniable. But the question is whether that is enough to confirm that he is the best midfielder in the Premier League at the moment?
Although Caicedo's strongest point is still his defensive ability, he is also in the top 5 players with the most successful passes in the tournament. However, compared to Rice and Bruno Fernandes, the Ecuador midfielder is still inferior in the number of passes made in the final third of the field.
The ability to create opportunities is not Caicedo's strength - he is only ranked 52nd among Premier League midfielders in this statistic. However, that is not the midfielder's main task in Maresca's tactical system.
Instead, Caicedo was required to be minimalist in ball control, ensuring safety and rhythm for the team's playing style. Few people can achieve stability like him, when possessing an accuracy rate of up to 91.3%.
Statistics show that Rice is dominating in attack, but on the defensive front, the situation is completely opposite. Caicedo is among the top five midfielders in the Premier League for saves, recoveries, one-on-one duels and successful tackles.
In contrast, Rice did not make the top 15 in any of the above categories.
That reflects some notable differences. First of all, it is the evolution of Rice - from a holding midfielder who was expected to be Arsenal's defensive mainstay when he first joined, he has now become one of the eight pure attackers.
However, the reason also lies in the fact that Rice cannot compare with midfielders with better defense like Caicedo. Rice's development in this aspect is still far from the Ecuadoran.
Caicedo was tasked with controlling the ball with near-asserted accuracy and few people could achieve the same effect. His pass accuracy rate of 91.3% is clear evidence, although Rice is among the few players who can approach that number.
