Arsenal seem to really appreciate one player at their London rivals Chelsea.
The Gunners spent big money on Declan Rice to improve their midfield last summer, but it appears that they wanted more than the former West Ham United captain.
The arrival of Rice has done the trick, though, with the 25-year-old helping Arsenal to challenge for the Premier League title this season.
As for Chelsea, they also strengthened in the middle of the park, bringing in Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
However, those additions have not helped them to mount their own title challenge, with Lavia making just one appearance this term because of injury.
Arsenal wanted to sign Declan Rice and Chelsea star
While Arsenal were able to land Rice, they could not get hold of one current Chelsea player.
According to journalist Charles Watts, before his move from Brighton to Chelsea, the Gunners wanted to sign Caicedo and start him alongside Rice. It was never one or the other for them.
Speaking to CaughtOffside, Watts said: “As far as I’m aware they still would have gone for the West Ham captain even if they had managed to get Caicedo in the summer.
“The plan was always to try and get both of them, not one.”
Sitting at the top of the league, Arsenal are getting on just fine without Caicedo.
Why Chelsea needed Moises Caicedo more than Arsenal
Chelsea had to win the race for Caicedo. In the same transfer window, the Blues lost N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, all midfielders.
In terms of profile, Caicedo is also quite similar to Kante. The 22-year-old, who was described as “outstanding” by Roy Keane earlier in the season, is a great ball-winner like the Frenchman.
For example, Caicedo is currently making 2.6 tackles per game in the Premier League, which is the second-highest average in Mauricio Pochettino‘s squad, according to WhoScored.
The Ecuador international was possibly their best bet at replacing Kante.
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