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Brighton dressing room are ‘sticking’ to Moisés Caicedo despite the midfielder BEGGING to leave for Arsenal in January, reveals captain Lewis Dunk… with the Gunners coming up short with a £70m offer
Brighton’s team will ‘keep’ Moisés Caicedo despite the Ecuadorian begging to leave the club for Arsenal in January, captain Lewis Dunk reveals.
Arsenal showed great interest in the Ecuadorian midfielder and had two offers turned down, the second of which was worth £70 million.
Caicedo pushed for a move, going public with his pleas on social media, but Brighton stood their ground and now Dunk believes it is up to his teammates to help ease the ‘difficult situation’.
“Obviously it was a difficult situation for him and these things happen in football,” Dunk said. talk sport.
“It is not the first and it will not be the last time that the players of a football club have this in mind.”
Moises Caicedo was forced to stay at Brighton in January after Arsenal’s offers were rejected
The 21-year-old expressed his desire to leave Brighton in a social media post in January.
Caicedo, described as a ‘great lad’ by Dunk, was banned from first team training as a result of his social media antics.
He was left out of the Seagulls’ FA Cup win over Liverpool on 30 January, but rejoined the group for a 1–0 win over Bournemouth, where he came on as a substitute.
“He’s a little boy and we’re sticking with him,” Dunk added. He’s a great guy and obviously a fantastic player. Who knows how long we’ll have him and we’re grateful to have him for at least the rest of the season and hopefully longer.
“I think it’s a massive statement from the club, which stands firm.
“Obviously we’ve sold players over the years to bigger clubs but I think it’s a great statement to show we want to keep it and I think it’s right.”
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has insisted there is no problem moving forward with Caicedo, but it has proven difficult since the window closed.
Captain Lewis Dunk (left) called Caicedo (right) a ‘great lad’ and said the team has his back
Brighton chairman Tony Bloom refused to allow Caicedo to sign for Arsenal in January
The midfielder’s agent criticized Brighton for denying him the transfer of his “dreams” to Arsenal.
Having failed to sign Caicedo, Arsenal signed Jorginho from Chelsea.
Manuel Sierra, Caicedo’s agent, criticized Brighton for not allowing the move to go ahead and stated that “this is an opportunity that cannot be repeated in a lifetime.”
Sierra told Marca90Ec, via Old: ‘The offers were received, you see what is on the table and Moisés says that he wants to move on, that it is the dream of his whole life. That it is an opportunity that cannot be repeated in a lifetime.’
This all came after Caicedo shocked his teammates by publicly begging to be allowed to leave and join former Brighton running mate Leandro Trossard at the Emirates Stadium.
Caicedo’s post read: “I’m grateful to Mr. Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel like I’ve always done my best for them.” I always play soccer with a smile and with my heart.
Caicedo’s agent criticized Brighton for blocking the midfielder’s dream to Arsenal
‘I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santo Domingo in Ecuador. My dream is always to be the most successful player in the history of Ecuador.
“I am proud to be able to generate a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to succeed.”
“The fans have taken me into their hearts and will always be in my heart, so I hope you can understand why I want to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.”
Brighton are next in action away from Crystal Palace this weekend with Caicedo pushing for his first start since the January drama unfolded.