Caicedo signs long-term Brighton deal after Arsenal transfer plea

By Sports Desk March 03, 2023

Moises Caicedo has signed a new long-term deal with Brighton and Hove Albion.

The 21-year-old midfielder was heavily linked with an exit from the Amex Stadium during the January transfer window, publicly expressing his desire to move to league leaders Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta's side reportedly saw bids of up to £70million rejected by Brighton and there was expectation that the Gunners would return for Caicedo at the end of the season.

However, the Ecuador international has now given his commitment to the Seagulls with a new deal that runs until 2027, with a club option for a further year.

"This is fantastic news for the club, our fans, for me and most importantly for Moises. It will make us stronger as we move forward towards our targets on the pitch," head coach Roberto de Zerbi said.

Caicedo joined Brighton in February 2021 from Independiente del Valle, then spending the first half of the following season on loan with Belgian side Beerschot.

A Premier League debut came in the 2-1 win against Arsenal in April 2022, with Caicedo retaining his spot for the remainder of the season and playing an integral part this term.

Brighton sit eighth in the Premier League, four points behind sixth-placed Liverpool and with games in hand over their closest competitors.

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  • Liverpool 2-1 Brighton: Salah stunner seals comeback win to send Reds top Liverpool 2-1 Brighton: Salah stunner seals comeback win to send Reds top

    A second-half comeback from Liverpool saw them return to the Premier League summit with a 2-1 win over Brighton at Anfield.

    Ferdi Kadioglu's eye-catching 14th-minute strike handed the visitors the lead on Saturday, but the Seagulls were unable to make their chances count in a dominant first half.

    Cody Gakpo, scorer of two goals against Brighton in the EFL Cup in midweek, fortuitously restored parity in the 69th minute when his cross narrowly evaded Darwin Nunez and nestled into the corner.

    And the turnaround was complete three minutes later when Mohamed Salah curled a trademark left-footed finish beyond Bart Verbruggen.

    With Arsenal and Manchester City losing, Liverpool are top of the pile on 25 points, two clear of their nearest challengers after the opening 10 games, while Brighton are seventh.

    Data Debrief: The Egyptian King

    Salah's stunning goal was his 48th match-winning strike in the Premier League, with only five players netting more in the competition’s history.

    He also continued his fine record against the Seagulls. The Egyptian now has 10 goals and six assists in the Premier League against Brighton, the most any player has against them in the division.

    Since the Seagulls joined the competition in 2017, only Salah himself against Manchester United (18) has more goal involvements against a single opponent in the competition.

    Liverpool have now won eight of their 10 Premier League games under Arne Slot (D1 L1), the most ever by a Reds manager in his first 10 top-flight matches in charge of the club.

  • Slot given something to think about ahead of Brighton rematch on Saturday Slot given something to think about ahead of Brighton rematch on Saturday

    Liverpool manager Arne Slot said that the players he gave gametime to in their 3-2 victory over Brighton in the EFL Cup in midweek gave him something to think about ahead of their league meeting with the same opposition this weekend.

    “I really liked what I saw from players who haven’t played much so far this season. That makes it even harder for me to make line ups in the upcoming weeks,” he told The Mirror.

    Cody Gakpo scored a brace in midweek and is now pushing for what would be only his third league start of the season.

    “In the second half of last season Cody scored a lot of goals so he’s been a good player for Liverpool for a long time now. He continues doing that and that’s a good thing.

    “For me, he is a regular starter. Not starting every game, but he’s started on a regular basis. There is tough competition with Luis Diaz.

    "It’s normal at a club like Liverpool to have two quality players for every position. If you look at Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah, who was unlucky with the goals we conceded, their overall performances I liked and they are in competition with Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate].

    Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed that Joao Pedro is back in first-team training and could play a part, while Matt O'Riley is also on the road to recovery after an injury nine minutes into his debut.

    "We have to see – he [Joao Pedro] is coming back after a long injury – if he will be an option, but he is back in training," he told a pre-match press conference.

    "Matt O’Riley is back in training. We have to see when he will be ready for potential playing in the squad."

    Hurzeler also expressed excitement about his first experience of managing at Anfield, although stopped short of fawning over the thought of it.

    "It is not on my bucket list to manage there but it will be a great experience, for sure. I am really looking forward to the atmosphere there," he said.

    PLAYERS TO WATCH

    Liverpool - Mohamed Salah

    Salah has been Liverpool's most effective player in the final third this season with 11 goal contributions (six goals, five assists). He is their top scorer and tied fifth among the league's top goalscorers.

    He has scored nine Premier League goals against Brighton in total, including three in his last two meetings.

    Brighton - Danny Welbeck

    Like Salah, Welbeck has also scored six league goals so far this season and is his team's top scorer.

    The 33-year-old has scored three goals in his last three league appearances and four in his last five. Notably, he also scored against Liverpool at Anfield in their previous league meeting last March.

    MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

    Liverpool will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run to six league games (W4 D1) as they meet Brighton on Saturday, having drawn 2-2 away to Arsenal last weekend.

    They are currently second in the Premier League on 22 points after nine matches, one point behind leaders Manchester City.

    They have won seven of their nine Premier League games under Arne Slot so far (D1 L1). Victory here would see him pick up the most victories by a Liverpool manager in their first 10 top-flight games in charge of the club.

    Liverpool have an impressive home record so far this season (W3 L1), while they also have the best-performing defence in the league with just five goals conceded.

    Brighton were beaten 3-2 by Liverpool in midweek, albeit with both sides having much-rotated XIs in the EFL Cup fourth round, and will have their work cut out on Saturday.

    They travel to Anfield with two away victories out of four in the league (D1 L1), although the games they failed to win came against Arsenal and Chelsea.

    OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

    Liverpool - 64.1%

    Draw - 18.6%

    Brighton - 17.2%

  • Gakpo still wants more despite firing Liverpool into EFL Cup quarter-finals Gakpo still wants more despite firing Liverpool into EFL Cup quarter-finals

    Cody Gakpo proved the hero for Liverpool as his two goals downed Brighton in the EFL Cup fourth round, though the forward still sees room for improvement.

    The Netherlands international provided the Reds with some much-needed attacking force after the disappointing confirmation that Diogo Jota will be out until after the next international break.

    Gakpo scored both his goals when cutting in from the left-hand side, before fellow winger Luis Diaz also got on the scoresheet.

    Simon Adingra and Tariq Lamptey both scored late on to offer Liverpool a scare, though Slot's side held on for a 3-2 victory that sent them into the last eight.

    However, Gakpo believes his match-winning performance could have been improved.

    "I think two good goals, but I think maybe it should have been more, or maybe I get an assist as well." he told Sky Sports.

    Liverpool fielded a young side at the Amex Stadium, with goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros and England Under-21 midfielder Tyler Morton among the starters.

    Gakpo lauded the impact of an inexperienced side against Fabian Hurzeler's hosts.

    "Very good. Morton, who doesn't start that often, started, then Trey [Nyoni] came in, and the goalkeeper obviously. I think they did fantastic," he added. 

    "It's not easy if you don’t play that often, then suddenly have to play. Everyone did well, so really proud of them and really proud of the team."

    Liverpool will face Southampton, who sneaked past Stoke City on Tuesday, in the quarter-finals, with Gakpo intent on chasing silverware with the Reds.

    "Every competition you play in, you want to win," he continued. "So, [I am] very happy we went through and on to the next."

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