Moises Caicedo deserves to be supported rather than shunned by Brighton and Hove Albion supporters after his failed attempt to force through a move to Arsenal.
That was the message on Friday from head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who said the 21-year-old midfielder was "a fantastic guy" who could still play a big role for Brighton in the second half of the season.
Caicedo went public with his desire to leave for what he described as a "magnificent opportunity" in an Instagram post that explicitly signalled his intentions.
Yet Brighton chairman Tony Bloom baulked at the idea of budging on his valuation of a star player after already losing Leandro Trossard to the Premier League leaders.
Brighton turned down two bids – reportedly of £60million and £70m, with £90m said to be the asking price – before the January transfer window closed, and De Zerbi was delighted the Seagulls kept Caicedo.
Arsenal instead spent relative pocket change on Jorginho, a £12m buy from Chelsea. It remains to be seen whether they return in the close season for Ecuador international Caicedo, who has been back in training with Brighton since Wednesday.
Brighton sit sixth in the Premier League at the midway point of their season and host lowly Bournemouth on Saturday.
De Zerbi said of the Caicedo saga: "I am very happy Moises stays with us until the end of the season. I want to speak to our fans because I want them to support him. I don't want them to criticise him. I love Moises, the people who work inside Brighton love Moises.
"I don’t know if he made a mistake or not, but the transfer market is closed, and the fans must follow me because I take the responsibility of him. If I say something so clear about Moises, they have to believe in me."
Caicedo is one of just three midfielders to have managed 50 tackles and 250 forward passes in the Premier League this season, along with Manchester United's Casemiro and Leeds United's Tyler Adams.
Arsenal would have found his numbers attractive, with manager Mikel Arteta looking to bolster a team who have shot to the top of the league and continued to win, keeping Manchester City at bay for now.
Surprisingly, perhaps, Caicedo did not delete his Instagram message once it became clear he would not get his dream move. It remained up on Friday, three days after the transfer window closed.
De Zerbi added: "I don't know the situation in the future, but he's a good guy and I want to defend him now. In other times I spoke a different way for the other players, but for Moises it's different.
"We need the performance of Moises. He's a fantastic guy, and so I don't want to listen to any criticism."
Fulham duo Mitrovic and Silva apologise after FA Cup red cards against Manchester United
Aleksandar Mitrovic and Marco Silva have issued apologies over their dismissals during Fulham's FA Cup loss to Manchester United earlier this month.
The pair were both shown red cards by referee Chris Kavanagh during a seismic passage of play in the Cottagers' 3-1 quarter-final exit at Old Trafford.
Having been called over to the pitchside monitor to check for a handball offence by Willian, who was subsequently sent off, the match official also dismissed Silva for dissent before showing red to Mitrovic after the forward pushed him, reducing them to nine men.
Bruno Fernandes then scored the resulting penalty as Fulham swiftly collapsed from holding a 1-0 lead going into the closing stages.
On Wednesday, both player and manager revealed they had spoken to Kavanagh to apologise, and stressed they will accept the punishments handed down against them.
"I have been away with my national team and have had some time to reflect on the Manchester United match," Mitrovic told the club's website.
"As everyone knows, it was a very emotional one, in which the team gave absolutely everything on the pitch to try to reach the semi-final of the FA Cup.
"On a personal level, I regret my actions that led to me being sent off. I allowed my frustration to get the better of me, and how I reacted was wrong.
"I have accepted the three-match ban for my red card, I have spoken to Chris Kavanagh to apologise, and I have volunteered to accept a club fine.
"I now want to do what I can to put this incident behind me and get back to helping my teammates on the pitch as soon as possible."
Silva echoed his player's sentiments, adding: "Emotions were high at Old Trafford and, as I said in my press conference after the game, I should have controlled my own emotions better.
"It was a very difficult moment, in a match that we had dominated, but I could have handled the situation better.
"I regret what happened, and I have spoken to Chris Kavanagh to apologise.
"He knows that I respect him and the job he has to do. I am sorry that I was not on the pitch to try to lead the team to Wembley, but I am thankful for all the support I have received from Fulham fans over the last few days."
The FA will review issuing a longer ban than the traditional three games for Mitrovic's actions, while Silva is likely to face a touchline suspension too.
Fulham return to action with a trip to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.
Wenger named Premier League's most influential manager by Arteta
Mikel Arteta labelled Arsene Wenger as the most influential manager in Premier League history, after the former Arsenal boss was inducted into the competition's Hall of Fame.
On Wednesday, Wenger was inducted alongside Alex Ferguson, with the pair becoming the first managers to go into the Hall of Fame after 16 players had already been added.
Wenger won three Premier League titles – including with the 2003-04 'Invincibles' – and seven FA Cups during his long stint in charge of Arsenal.
He is renowned for introducing a revolutionary football philosophy, which included a commitment to attacking football.
"I don't think any other managers have had a more impact," Arteta said.
"Some managers have brought different ideas, different characters, different competitions.
"He opened the Premier League to the world in a different way to other managers. He had a vision that was much wider than any other manager had at the time.
"England and the Premier League have to be very grateful forever to this man."
Arteta played under Wenger for five seasons between 2011 and 2016, before becoming Arsenal boss himself in 2019.
After winning the 2020 FA Cup, Arteta has the Gunners leading the Premier League by eight points with 10 games to go.
On track for Arsenal’s first title in 19 years, Arteta has credited Wenger for helping him as a player and then in the next step of his career.
"I had a dream to play for this club and that was because of the way Arsenal played," added Arteta.
"It was so attractive. I had a phenomenal time with him. He pushed me as well at the end of my career to become a coach.
"We had a conversation and I asked him what he would do in my position because I had doubts in my career over whether I wanted to continue my journey as a coach.
"He helped me at the club and at the academy to do my badges and again, he was an inspiration."
Napoli 'lucky' not to have Serie A title rival, claims Totti
Francesco Totti has lauded Napoli and "great coach" Luciano Spalletti but suggests the runaway Serie A leaders have been "also lucky" this season.
Napoli are on course for their first Scudetto since 1990, when Diego Maradona was still at the club.
The Partenopei are a mammoth 19 points clear with only 11 games remaining, making a title triumph almost an inevitability.
Yet Roma great Totti, while praising their work under ex-Giallorossi boss Spalletti, believes they have benefited from the absence of a genuine competitor.
Legend Totti won only one title with Roma, although they finished as runners-up on a further nine occasions across his remarkable career, missing out to Juventus, Milan and Inter.
"I honestly didn't expect it like this," Totti told Sky Sport of Napoli. "I knew it was a good team with a great coach – it was a well-made combination.
"They expressed themselves to the fullest in everything and were also lucky because they didn't have an opponent behind them who can keep up with their pace.
"When we were there, there was always Juve, Inter, Milan who always clung there.
"If you won 20 games, they won 19. Napoli doesn't have a second team like that."
Lazio are Napoli's nearest rivals, but Juve would be second if not for a 15-point deduction. Even then, the Bianconeri would be 15 points off the pace.
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