John Obi Mikel has been full of praise for Moises Caicedo and believes the midfielder will eventually captain the club.
The Blues broke the British transfer record last summer as they paid £100m for the 22-year-old, but the deal could rise to £115m.
After struggling at the start of his Chelsea career, Caicedo began to find his feet in the second half of the season and put in a number of impressive performances, including a goal of the season’s rival in the last day against Bournemouth.
Caicedo, future Chelsea captain
The Ecuador international has picked up where he left off at the end of last season and under Enzo Maresca it looks like Chelsea have paid for all that money.
Caicedo delivered arguably his best performance in a Chelsea shirt in Saturday’s win over West Ham, with the midfielder everywhere, breaking up play and even getting an assist for Jackson’s second goal.
The Blues host League Two leaders Barrow in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, with Caicedo likely to be rested ahead of this weekend’s game against Brighton.
Former Chelsea player Mikel has been very impressed with the Ecuadorian and believes he will eventually captain the club.
“He is an absolutely fantastic player, he was everywhere on Saturday. Not just breaking the game, trying to link the game as well, passing, everything,” Mikel said The Obi One Podcast.
“Now you feel that this is the Moises Caicedo that we all know and when you look at him you can see that there is a bit of confidence. Now I play for Chelsea Football Club, this is my team.
“With the performances and the way he behaves on the field, there is no ego. It’s absolutely fantastic, it was everywhere. It was a bit like a N’Golo Kante performance.
“Credit to Moises and also the manager for giving him so much confidence and making sure he believes in him. It is paying off with the performances.
“This is a guy who I think will eventually become, probably, the captain of the club.”
Caicedo has already captained Chelsea this season in the recent win against Bournemouth and is expected to be a key part of the squad as they aim to help the Blues return to the Champions League this season.
