Why $112 Million-Rated Moisés Caicedo Shouldn’t Leave Brighton This Year

Growing up poor in Santa Domingo, Ecuador, young Moisés Caicedo would have dreamed about playing for a professional soccer club in Europe one day.

Dreaming bigger, starring in the blue and white of Brighton and Hove Albion wouldn’t have entered his mind. Instead, winning honors with Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and alternative powerhouses in England and abroad would have likely captured his imagination.

In the end, Brighton is where his career has taken off. And although other tantalizing prospects hang on the horizon for the 21-year-old midfielder, he should think twice about leaving the Premier League club later this year after failing to seal a switch away during the winter transfer window.

Much to Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi’s disappointment, Caicedo has already revealed his desire to move via social media—aware that a big offer from a competitor would still allow Brighton to reinvest in the squad, as it does expertly. Unfortunately for Caicedo, Brighton’s reported asking price converted to around €102 million ($112 million) and proved too high. No transfer away leaves him in an awkward situation until the summer—when it may well demand more—unless he can rebuild his relationship with the club.

For an athlete keen to reach the top of the game, you can’t blame his ambition to play for teams with a more fabled history, stacked trophy cabinet, and worldwide status than his current employer. However, he should consider staying put for the following reasons.

With De Zerbi at the helm, Brighton is breaking all the rules, and in a good way. The side is playing high-octane soccer, outperforming the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in the Premier League this campaign, and has a realistic chance of qualifying for Europe next season—maybe even the prestigious Champions League for the first time in its history. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?

In joining a traditionally more established side, he could be playing for a club better in name only. Across the continent, plenty of surprise packages are competing for the top league positions. Take Real Sociedad in Spain, Lens in France, and Union Berlin and Freiburg in Germany, for example. Not all the big hitters are dominating at the moment.

Brighton’s project is exciting. Reflecting on another victory win against Liverpool this season, De Zerbi was happy with the result but somewhat concerned with the performance—illustrating the impeccable standards he and his coaching staff expect at a club that has spent much of its 122-year existence languishing in the lower divisions.

Indeed, the coach doesn’t care about the past. He wants to take the attacking philosophy that earned him praise in Italy and Ukraine and apply it within the Premier League—and the conditions are in place to do just that. A very well-run entity, Brighton can continue flourishing.

Under owner Tony Bloom, Brighton cannot compete with the raw financial strength of some teams. But it can find its way around the global transfer market—acquiring players like Caicedo for relatively cheap sums, developing them into stars, and only selling them for mouthwatering offers if necessary to change things up and improve. A squeaky-clean financial strategy has driven so much of its success.

Were the powerful athletic Caicedo to sign for another team, he could easily find himself featuring less frequently in a squad with top options competing for more minutes. It’s happened to players like him before. While he’s good enough to start regularly for most, more games seem more likely at his current side if he gets back on track. Staying would benefit both parties.

And then, of course, there’s age. Caicedo is 21 and will surely test himself somewhere else in due course. For now, why not spearhead something new? After all, people don’t always remember those penning deals with the typically glamourous names. They do remember those who stay and lead something fresh in their careers.

At Brighton, Caicedo can be a hero and have everything else later if he wants.