According to Liverpool Echo, Moises Caicedo will play at Anfield for the first time since Liverpool made a club-record £111 million bid for him when the Reds face Chelsea on Wednesday night.
With Jurgen Klopp looking to complete his midfield overhaul, Liverpool made a late move for the Ecuadorian, and Brighton & Hove Albion accepted their record bid. Despite his initial openness to the move, he would later refuse to attend a medical, stating unequivocally that he only wanted to move to Stamford Bridge, despite the German’s best efforts to persuade him otherwise.
The fact that these events occurred on the eve of the Reds’ trip to Chelsea on the first day of the season only added to the drama. And such a saga adds an extra layer to the spectacle as Caicedo and Mauricio Pochettino’s side prepare to return to Anfield.
With Klopp confirming last week that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, every remaining home game at Anfield promises to be special. With Chelsea as the visitors, under the lights, and the possibility of maintaining a five-point lead at the top of the table, it’ll be a fiery match. However, depending on whether Kopites will forgive Caicedo, he may be in for an intimidating night.
While Klopp’s side leads the table with 48 points, Chelsea is 17 points behind in ninth place, with both club and player struggling at times during a rocky season. And, while their form is improving, having won four of their last five Premier League games and defeating Middlesbrough in the League Cup final, it is still a long way from what Liverpool hopes to achieve.
After all, the Reds are aiming for another quadruple, with places in the Europa League round of 16 and the FA Cup fifth round already secured, as well as a League Cup final against Chelsea next month. While such silverware would be the highlight of the Londoners’ season, Liverpool will be hoping that it is just the beginning.
As a result, Wednesday’s meeting will serve as a dress rehearsal for Wembley, but Klopp’s team cannot afford any mistakes. In fact, their fans will be desperate for the Reds to reinforce their belief that Caicedo made the wrong decision by turning down Liverpool’s advances for Chelsea.
Klopp famously made light of such a saga last month while addressing fans at a test from the new Anfield Road end.
“In the summer, the summer we had when a few strange things happened in the transfer market,” he recalled with a glint in his eye and the cheekiest of grins, referring to Liverpool’s failed pursuits of Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. “But here between us, I can say, ‘My God, we were lucky, eh?
“We didn’t know that in the moment, it didn’t feel like it in that moment. But, meh. I’m really happy that it worked out like that.
“You never know before, but I had a really good feeling before we started pre-season. Clear we had two already with Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) and Dom (Dominik Szoboszlai) in, and we knew there was a chance for Ryan (Gravenberch).
“Then we obviously realised other central defensive midfielders don’t want to join Liverpool (laughs). You see what happens!
“And then we found (Wataru) Endo. He’s an exceptional player, he is, absolutely. He’s 30 years old and an experienced captain of Japan. It’s not possible to be the first pick because the transfer market is not like that. We don’t go for a 30-year-old player who plays in Germany and nearly got relegated.
“Thank God we looked about things twice and had another look. Then it was clear we wanted this boy, and he wanted to come, definitely, and that helps.
“And now we have the squad together. We have a new leadership group if you want with very experienced players. Still young, some of them, and a group around full of desire and full of passion to give everything for this club.
“So that’s the start and now we have to try and make something special happen.”
Such remarks were unmistakably tongue-in-cheek, intended to entertain the audience. However, Klopp was well aware of the potential headlines.
In reality, such claims could be the ideal motivation for Caicedo and Chelsea. The Ecuadorian could have waited weeks to silence Liverpool’s manager, pinning those words to the dressing room wall. It could have been avoided, but the damage has already been done.
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Now he has the opportunity to strike back and do his talking on the pitch, silencing the Anfield crowd and reducing the Reds’ lead at the top of the table. In a few weeks, he’ll be looking to deny Liverpool their first silverware of the season while also justifying his transfer.
It works both ways, of course. While Endo, the man Klopp turned to after Caicedo snubbed him, is currently unavailable due to Asian Cup duty, the Reds still have summer signings Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch alongside their longer-serving squad.
They’ll be looking to beat Chelsea’s £221.8 million midfield duo of Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. Both at Anfield and Wembley, they reiterated what the Ecuadorian could have been a part of and why they thought his summer decision was ill-advised.
Klopp’s words from seven weeks ago have the potential to come back and bite him and Liverpool. But, as the Reds prepare to face Chelsea once more, with a League Cup final on the horizon, he’ll be confident in his team’s ability to ensure that he is the one who has the last laugh.
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