Gus Poyet told GOAL it is too early to compare Moises Caicedo with Claude Makelele, while saying Caicedo is so important for Chelsea. Caicedo was acquired in 2023 as part of a £100 million ($134m) transfer agreement with Brighton.
Poyet on the comparison
The former Blues midfielder said: "Makelele, his trajectory, his career was incredible. I think he needs to keep performing at this level for a few years to be able to compare."
Caicedo's role at Chelsea
Poyet said: "I think it's too early, but at the same time, he's so important for this team. It's unbelievable the difference between the first four or five games without Caicedo to the last two with Caicedo. And that shows how much they were missing him, especially in this system that he's trying to play Xabi, to allow the three up front to go on and produce."
He added: "I think also that with all respect to Caicedo, the help of Henderson next to him not too many people were expecting, also giving him the chance to be himself. So I think he's a key player this season for Chelsea and I really hope that he keeps himself fit."
Poyet on the number six role
Poyet said: "I was there in the game against Bournemouth and when you see the fluidity of the team going forward, everybody wants to score and you need someone who, tactically, sometimes people don't see where he's standing, where he's looking, where he's pointing to, where he's covering, like reading the game."
He continued: "And those are the special players that you named. Makelele, because of his ability to be ahead of the game. N’Golo Kante, because I never see somebody running that much in my life. I have seen players running, but he covered the whole pitch."
Poyet also said: "I think it shows that we still need that player, number six, proper, old-fashioned, staying in front of the back four in every single team in the world. That sometimes with this new mentality of passing, passing, passing and Barcelona style or Guardiola style or Spanish style, we forget about that central midfielder."