Chelsea star is remarkably doing something better than any other player across Europe
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(Credit: Getty, Hasan Karim - Breaking Media)
Oliver Walton
Fri 26 September 2025 21:00, UK
Chelsea have a player among their ranks who is above every single player in Europe’s top five leagues in two impressive metrics.
Chelsea need to start a winning streak this weekend against Brighton after they scraped past Lincoln City with a 2-1 Carabao Cup victory in midweek.
Enzo Maresca’s side had gone four games without a win prior to that outing, with Man United beating Chelsea 2-1 last Saturday (20 September) after Robert Sanchez was sent-off very early on.
Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital spent big in the summer in search of more success at Stamford Bridge, with Joao Pedro signed from Brighton for £60million, Jamie Gittens brought in for £51.5m and Alejandro Garnacho’s signature costing them £40m, among many others.
They will want to see clear returns on their investment this season, but Maresca’s side need to get back to winning ways as soon as possible, and one of their previous big-money signings could help them do just that based off his current outstanding form.
Credit: Imago
Moises Caicedo joined Chelsea for a then-British record fee of £115 million in 2023 from Brighton, and he has played 90 minutes in all five of their Premier League games so far this term.
His strong showings last season saw Maresca hail Caicedo as “the best defensive midfielder in the world,” and statistics from this campaign so far prove that he may not be far wrong.
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According to Opta, Caicedo has made both the most tackles (21) and most interceptions (15) of any player across Europe’s big-five leagues this season.
For clarity, that includes the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1, so it is clear that Chelsea fans should be glad the club spent big on him two years ago, and he could be key to a win against his former side this weekend.
The Ecuador international played 50 times in all competitions for the Blues last term, helping them win the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup.
Caicedo was praised by Chelsea fans for his performances in the latter competition, and he has set about proving one of the all-time great Premier League midfielders, Paul Scholes, wrong this season after he previously raised questions about his quality.
While speaking on the Overlap’s Fan Debate in June, he said: “A lot of people talk about Caicedo, don’t they?
He’s played 38 games, brilliant, what an achievement.
Yeah but was there much quality, did he create a lot, did he control loads of games for Chelsea?
I don’t remember that.”
Caicedo is clearly doing just that for Maresca’s side this season, with his tackles and interceptions allowing them to win back possession quicker to attack their opponents.
He has also been able to add a more creative element to his game, with two goals in his first six games of the campaign already matching his tally across the whole of 2024-25, so Scholes may soon have to eat his words if he keeps improving and Chelsea do well in 2025-26.