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On Monday evening, Chelsea officially announced the signing of Caicedo from Brighton in a deal worth £115million – a British transfer record.
The Blues had long been pursuing the Ecuador international and managed to seal the deal over the weekend after the player turned down the chance to sign for Liverpool after they had a £111m bid accepted.
A life-long Chelsea fan, Caicedo was determined to move to west London and the cub capitalised on this in their announcement video for the 21-year-old -replicating a photo of the player from his childhood wearing a Chelsea shirt alongside his mother.
And he has now revealed that during his youth career he idolised two Blues legends – and perhaps unsurprisingly they were both defensive midfielders.
‘[Claude] Makelele and [N’Golo] Kante were an inspiration to me,’ Caicedo told Chelsea’s official website.
‘They were so humble on the pitch. I think I can say we share similar qualities, but they were better. But now I am going to give everything for this club because they did so much for me.
‘When I was a kid, I supported Chelsea and used to watch the games. Now it is amazing to be here.
‘It is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I can’t wait to start with the guys, to give my best and to write my own story.’
Such was his love for Kante – the man he is effectively replacing at Stamford Bridge – that Caicedo asked for and got a shirt bearing his name for his 18th birthday.
The young star also hopes that in turn he can inspire the next generation, adding: ‘I also know there are a lot of kids in Ecuador behind me.
‘I have to be an example for them. I want to represent my country in the best way I can. The people there support me. They wear my shirt. They are an inspiration as well to keep working hard.’
Caicedo will likely make his much-anticipated Chelsea debut this Sunday when they travel across London to face West Ham.
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