The new transfer season is upon us, and with it, a new set of rumours and speculations about who’s in and who’s out of different teams. This season comes just a few months after the last one and after a year of lower income for most football clubs, so many expect it to lack any truly spectacular transfers.
Predicting the lineup of a team after a transfer window like this year’s first is about as easy as predicting the next number to win at a roulette table of the Spin online casino. For an outsider, that is. Just as the result of a round of roulette are incalculable until the ball lands in a numbered slot, the fate of a transfer is undecided until all sides agree, shake hands, and sign the contract. But just like in the case of roulette, there are many who try to predict which player goes where before the ball stops. This is how the 19-year-old Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo got linked to Everton.
Who is Moises Caicedo?
Growing up in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, Caicedo was dreaming of putting on the jersey of Independiente del Valle. He spent his formative years with clubs like Espoli and Colorados SC before joining his dream team at the age of 13. He graduated the club’s youth academy in 2019, getting the number 55 jersey and playing as a midfielder for the Negriazules ever since.
Since then, he appeared in 25 league games and scored four times for his team, aside from being capped four times for the Ecuador national team, becoming the first player born in the new millennium to score in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier.
Caicedo is considered a rising star in the world of football, often named “a combination of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté”.
The contenders
Caicedo was linked to several Premier League teams over the last year. The strongest contender was Manchester United, reportedly in advanced talks about signing the emerging South American talent before the discussions fell through. Other contenders include Premier League club Chelsea, and Eredivisie club Ajax, not to mention Atlanta United of the MLS.
And, of course, Everton.
Local sports portal Extra.ec reported that While Manchester put forth an attractive offer, the Negriazules are still undecided, waiting for other clubs to show their worth. Independiente del Valle manager Santiago Morales revealed that a decision about where the youngster will end up will be made this week and that the competition will be decided between a strong European club (not Manchester) and an MLS club.
Reports about Everton’s intentions to sign a midfielder have been circulating in the press, usually linking Juve central midfielder Sami Khedira to the team. But most agree that signing a 19-year-old over the 33-year-old veteran would be a much smarter move.
