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John Obi Mikel has backed Moises Caicedo to become a Chelsea captain in the future after watching him impress in a 3-0 win against West Ham United. The Ecuadorian is starting to shine following his British transfer record £115 million move from Brighton & Hove Albion in August 2023.
Caicedo, 22, impressed in the Blues' victory away at the London Stadium. He helped break up play with eight tackles, provided Nicolas Jackson with an assist and won 10 of 12 ground duels.
Mikel, who played a similar role for Chelsea during his playing career, spoke glowingly of Caicedo. He hailed his performance against the Hammers while alluding to the midfielder's tough start at Stamford Bridge. He said on his Obi One Podcast:
"He was everywhere. He didn’t start his Chelsea career really well. A few games into his Chelsea career there was lots of mistakes and everyone was thinking, “Why did we pay so much money for this guy?"
Caicedo made his debut for the Blues in a 3-1 loss in August 2023 and it was an afternoon to forget. He came off the bench and gave away a penalty while losing possession several times.
Mikel feels the Ecuador international is now living up to his potential:
"Now we can see those performances that he was putting in at Brighton. He’s an absolutely fantastic player, he was everywhere on Saturday. Not just breaking up play, trying to link up play as well, passing, everything."
Caicedo is one of Chelsea's vice-captains and wore the armband in a 2-0 win against Swiss outfit Servette in UEFA Europa Conference League playoffs. Mikel thinks he could be made skipper permanently while comparing him to club legend N'Golo Kante:
"With the performances and the way he behaves on the pitch, there is no ego. He’s absolutely fantastic, he was everywhere. It was a bit like an N’Golo Kante performance... This is a guy that I think will eventually go on to maybe, probably, captain the club."
The Blues' current captain is Reece James, but the English right-back is injured. Enzo Fernandez is next in line, but if he continues to impress, Caicedo could take the armband on a permanent basis.
"He is brilliant" - Pat Nevin hailed Chelsea's Moises Caicedo but disagreed with Kante comparisons
Pat Nevin was another former Blue impressed with Caicedo's performance against West Ham. He alluded to how the former Brighton man put out fires at the London Stadium (via talkSPORT):
"He has started his game again. He wins things, he is hard to beat, he is not N’Golo Kante, but he is brilliant at killing any sort of quick breaks, yes, but any time there is a tight pass in the midfield, he is zipping in there as well."
Kante became a hero during his time at Stamford Bridge with his energy and relentless pressing. He made 269 appearances, bagging 13 goals and 16 assists before leaving in June 2023.
