Liverpool’s failure to land Moises Caicedo last summer has so far been a bit of a blessing in disguise.
There’s every chance that the 22-year-old will still come good at Chelsea. But as he displayed with a meek performance at Anfield on Wednesday, Caicedo has absolutely failed to live up to his billing as a £115m player.
Despite that, the transfer saga could still come back to bite Liverpool. That’s because, as journalist Christian Falk reports for The Daily Briefing, Caicedo is now advising Ecuador national team colleague Willian Pacho over a potential move this summer.
“Willian Pacho, a central defender, is in contact with his Ecuadorian compatriot Moises Caicedo of Chelsea,” Falk writes. “Moises speaks highly about life in the Premier League. Pacho is actually already on the list of many clubs in England. The following are interested: Arsenal, Liverpool and United.
“But there is also competition from Spain and Italy with Real Madrid and SSC Napoli. Pacho came to Frankfurt in the summer for €9m from Antwerp. He has a contract until 2028. Frankfurt bosses don’t want to talk about a transfer for less than €60m [£51m].”
With Caciedo adamant that he didn’t want to join Liverpool in August, let’s hope that doesn’t influence his advice for Pacho.
Caicedo advising Pacho on move
Of course, Caicedo speaking to Pacho could actually help Liverpool on this occasion, too. Although the former Brighton man did flat out refuse a move to Anfield in the summer, that was through no fault of Liverpool’s.
From everything we’ve read in the months since the transfer, it seems as though there was no great falling out between the Reds and Caicedo. He’d simply already given his word to Chelsea and wanted to honour that.
Having since also witnessed Liverpool in full flight at Anfield, it’s safe to say that the midfielder may be regretting his decision.
As a result, perhaps Caicedo will advise Pacho not to pass up the chance to join the Reds if it comes along.
For what Liverpool were previously looking for, the Eintracht man would indeed fit the bill. It’s been claimed that a left-footed centre-back is still high on the Reds’ wish list. That would make Pacho a suitable target.
Only 22 and already an international with 130 senior appearances under his belt, the defender would tick a lot of boxes.
Obviously, the big elephant in the room is that Liverpool currently have no idea who will be overseeing transfers this summer. That could clearly put them behind the competition for Pacho. It remains to be seen whether the presence of Caicedo will also help or hinder them.
Pacho is one to watch though. We don’t think we’ve heard the last of this.
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