West Ham United view £60m Moises Caicedo as long-term Declan Rice replacement
According to the Daily Mail, West Ham see Brighton and Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo as the ideal replacement for Declan Rice.
Most Hammers fans have come to terms with Rice leaving the club in the summer. After his comments at England about wanting to play in the Champions League and the persistent rumours of a Chelsea move [90Min], it seems a certainty that he’ll move at the end of the season.
But accepting the loss now means the club can at least plan to replace him, and it seems that David Moyes and the board have Caicedo at the top of their list.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Brighton are aware that they have to sell their best players from time to time and have lumped a £60million asking price on Caicedo.
The 21-year-old only moved to the south coast last year, but his impressive performances in the Premier League and now the World Cup with Ecuador have attracted plenty of attention.
Newcastle United are mentioned alongside West Ham as potential buyers, with the Magpies not fazed by the huge asking price.
Big boots to fill
Whoever comes in to replace Rice has a very difficult task. Not only will they have to fill the boots of one of the league’s best midfielders, but they’ll have to do it under immense pressure.
All eyes will be on the new signing to do exactly what Rice did for West Ham when realistically there are not many players in the world that can emulate Rice.
Frankly, Caicedo is one of the better options the club could have picked to replace Rice. He’s incredibly strong, athletic and reliable. Graham Potter was a huge fan of the midfielder during his time in charge of the Seagulls and labelled him “fantastic” earlier this season. [90Min]
His passing and creativity is probably where Caicedo lacks compared to Rice, but the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Pablo Fornals should be able to provide that balance.
The £60million price tag might put off a number of fans, but in today’s market, a very promising 21-year-old is always going to have an outlandish value. With Rice likely to go for north of £100million, it’s an investment that may be very worthwhile for the club.