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Arsenal could take U-turn in Caicedo transfer stance

By Ritayan Chatterjee on February 8, 2023

Arsenal could decide to scrap their plan of signing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo in the summer if Albert Sambi Lokonga’s loan spell at Crystal Palace ends up being a successful one, as per the transfer journalist Rudy Galetti.

The north London club wanted to bolster their midfield in this recently concluded January window and identified the Brighton star as their primary target.

Arsenal made two official proposals worth up to £70m to sign the talented midfielder. However, the South coast side were reluctant to let their star man leave and in the end, they managed to keep hold of the youngster despite the player handing in a transfer request.

After failing to broker a deal for their priority target, the Gunners shifted their attention to alternative options and decided to sign Jorginho on deadline day from Chelsea.

However, the Italian has signed an 18-month contract with an option to extend the deal for one more year, so he seems like a short-term addition to the midfield department.

Different plan

It has widely been suggested that Mikel Arteta’s side are still looking to strengthen their engine room next summer and could revive their interest in signing Caicedo.

However, speaking to GiveMeSport, Galetti has stated that although Caicedo is an option for Arsenal, they want to make the decision about signing a new midfielder after evaluating the development of Lokonga – who has been sent out on loan to Palace this winter following the arrival of Jorginho.

Galetti said:

“In the summer, they could try again for Moises Caicedo, but [Mikel] Arteta wants to make a final decision only after evaluating the performance of [Albert] Sambi Lokonga, who is now on loan at Crystal Palace. So, it’s an option, but at the moment, nothing has been decided yet for Moises Caicedo in the summer”.

Lokonga is a talented player and possesses high potential. However, lack of game time in recent times has stopped his development. So, it was the right decision to let him go on loan and play regular first-team football.

If the Belgian manages to flourish under Patrick Vieira’s guidance during the second half of this season then that could save Arsenal big money in the transfer market as it was reported that Brighton value Caicedo at around £80m.