De Zerbi offers Arsenal encouragement in Caicedo chase

By Sports Desk January 29, 2023

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi believes the club are "ready to go forward without" Moises Caicedo following interest from Arsenal.

Caicedo has been strongly linked with a move away from the Amex Stadium all month, but reports of interest intensified this week.

Arsenal were rumoured to have had a bid worth £60million rejected by Brighton, which seemed to prompt Caicedo to publicly declare his desire to leave.

In a statement posted to social media on Friday, the Ecuador international spoke of wanting to make the most of a "magnificent opportunity".

While he did not specifically name Arsenal, the Gunners – who signed Leandro Trossard from the Seagulls in this window – are said to have since upped their offer to roughly £70m.

Brighton have told Caicedo to stay away from the first team while his future is unresolved, hence his absence from Sunday's 2-1 FA Cup win over Liverpool, but De Zerbi is apparently content for a sale to go through.

"Caicedo is a very, very good guy," the told reporters after the game. "I can understand because when you are 21 and you have a request from a big team, they are playing in Europe.

"I would like him to finish the season with us, but we are ready to go forward without him – I think we need some players in some positions.

"I spoke a lot with [Brighton chairman] Tony [Bloom], he knows very well my opinion. We are a good team, but we can improve from the transfer window.

"We lost [Leandro] Trossard and if we also lose Caicedo, it can be a problem for us if we want to fight for Europe."

Caicedo's statement of intent to leave caught fans by surprise, and De Zerbi earlier described it as a "mistake".

But the Brighton coach also sympathised with the 21-year-old, convinced those advising him were behind it rather than Caicedo unilaterally deciding to publish the comments.

"I was surprised, but I can understand where the mistake started," De Zerbi added.

"I don't know if you understand, but Moises is a good guy. I think [he was influenced by someone else]."

Related items

  • Rennes make top four, Nantes survive and Auxerre relegated on Ligue 1 final day Rennes make top four, Nantes survive and Auxerre relegated on Ligue 1 final day

    Rennes edged out Lille and Monaco to secure a top-four finish while Nantes' first league win since February saw them stay up at Auxerre's expense on a dramatic final day of Ligue 1 action.

    Rennes clinched a 2-1 victory against Brest thanks to a Benjamin Bourigeaud brace, seizing on Lille's 1-1 draw with relegated Troyes and Monaco's 2-1 reverse against Toulouse to take fourth.

    Bruno Genesio's side thus secured Europa League football for next season, while Paulo Fonseca's Lille must settle for a Europa Conference League spot and Monaco missed out entirely.

    Champions Paris Saint-Germain squandered a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss to Clermont, meaning they finished just one point clear of runners-up Lens, who ended the season with a 3-1 win at Auxerre.

    That victory allowed Nantes to finalise a great escape in their final game, vaulting Auxerre to secure safety with a 1-0 win over relegated Angers.

    Nantes therefore secured top-flight football for another year, evading the expanded four-team relegation zone by a single point ahead of the division being cut to 18 teams.

    Auxerre, Ajaccio, Troyes and Angers will play in Ligue 2 next season, with Le Havre and either Metz or Bordeaux coming up from the second tier.

  • Lionel Messi’s final game for Paris St Germain ends in defeat to Clermont Lionel Messi’s final game for Paris St Germain ends in defeat to Clermont

    Lionel Messi ended his Paris St Germain career with a 3-2 defeat to Clermont.

    The Argentinian World Cup winner will quit Paris this summer having already been linked with a return to Barcelona and Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal next season.

    He will leave as a Ligue 1 champion with PSG having already secured the title before blowing a 2-0 lead to lose on the final day of the season.

    Sergio Ramos, on his final appearance for the club, and Kylian Mbappe’s penalty gave the hosts control.

    Johan Gastien pulled a goal back and Mehdi Zeffane levelled in first-half stoppage time. Grejohn Kyei gave the visitors the lead after 63 minutes and Clermont held out for victory.

    At the bottom, Nantes beat the drop by a point on the final day as Auxerre were relegated.

    A 1-0 win over rock-bottom Angers, thanks to Ignatius Ganago’s goal, gave Nantes the win they needed as Auxerre lost 3-1 at home to Lens.

    Alexis Claude-Maurice’s double gave Lens a 2-0 lead before M’Baye Niang pulled a goal back. Lois Openda made it 3-1 with 12 minutes left to seal Auxerre’s fate.

    Rennes won 2-1 at Brest as they clinched fourth ahead of Lille thanks to Benjamin Bourigeaud’s double, with Lille held 1-1 by relegated Troyes to go into the Europa Conference League qualifiers.

    Monaco missed out on the top five after a 2-1 defeat at home to Toulouse.

    Relegated Ajaccio beat third-placed Marseille 1-0, Lorient beat Strasbourg 2-1 and Nice beat Lyon 3-1 with mid-table Montpellier winning 3-1 at Reims, finishing a point behind their hosts.

    In Germany, Chelsea-bound Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring as RB Leipzig beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the German Cup final.

    The striker broke the deadlock in the 71st minute before Dominik Szoboszlai doubled the lead with five minutes left.

    In Italy, Lazio sealed second spot in Serie A after a 2-0 win at Empoli thanks to goals from Alessio Romagnoli and Luis Alberto.

    It came after Marcelo Brozovic scored the winner as Inter Milan beat Torino 1-0 to briefly move ahead of them but Inter must now settle for third.

    Already relegated Cremonese beat Salernitana 2-0 to finish their season on a high.

  • Paris Saint-Germain 2-3 Clermont: Messi and Ramos denied winning send-off as visitors fight back Paris Saint-Germain 2-3 Clermont: Messi and Ramos denied winning send-off as visitors fight back

    Paris Saint-Germain failed to muster a winning send-off for Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos as they ended the Ligue 1 season by squandering a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss against Clermont.

    Early goals for the Spaniard and Kylian Mbappe put the champions on top at Parc des Princes, before Johan Gastien, Mehdi Zeffane and Grejohn Kyei completed a stirring comeback from the visitors.

    It was a damp last note for ex-LaLiga heroes Messi and Ramos, who leave Paris as two-time league champions but without having won supporters' hearts – with Messi booed ahead of kick-off.

    Likewise, it may prove a dour final chapter for coach Christophe Galtier, who is widely tipped to depart despite leading PSG to a record 11th league title. 

    PSG, who wore shirts adorned with the name of injured team-mate Sergio Rico in the first half, needed VAR to rescue them after Kyei prodded home an early finish.

    The hosts promptly seized control, with Ramos netting a farewell header from Vitinha's delivery before Mbappe doubled their lead with an excellent penalty following Alidu Seidu's foul on Achraf Hakimi.

    Clermont refused to fold though, with Gastien capitalising on Marco Verratti's mistake to halve the arrears and Zeffane bundling in a leveller either side of Kyei putting a spot-kick wide in a thrilling first half.

    Messi, who misfired on his farewell, spurned a chance to finish Mbappe's square ball after the restart before Kyei nosed the visitors in front with a close-range finish.

    PSG continued to toil for an equaliser in the closing stages and Messi almost stole a point in the final minute of injury time, only for goalkeeper Mory Diaw to stop his direct free-kick with an acrobatic save.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.