Moises Caicedo credited former Chelsea midfielder and Premier League winner N’Golo Kante as the inspiration behind performances that have helped fire the current Blues crop to second in the table.
Kante was a key figure in turning a Chelsea team that finished 10th in 2016 into champions the following season, 12 months after his tireless, combative displays took the division by storm in Leicester’s title-winning campaign.
Caicedo was expected to make a similar impact when Chelsea paid a British-record £115million to sign him from Brighton in the summer of 2023 but he endured a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge as the team struggled for form.
N’Golo Kante was a Premier League winner with Chelsea in 2017
N’Golo Kante was a Premier League winner with Chelsea in 2017(Isabel Infantes/PA)
Under head coach Enzo Maresca, he has looked a different player, forming a formidable midfield pairing with Romeo Lavia as the team have won five in a row to move within two points of the summit.
In Lavia’s absence for Sunday’s 2-1 win over Brentford he was partnered with Enzo Fernandez, a combination which previously had been written off as ineffective but which was key in defeating Thomas Frank’s team.
Caicedo won possession with a brilliant tackle deep in his own half allowing Fernandez to set up Nicolas Jackson for Chelsea’s crucial second goal, and afterwards the 23-year-old Ecuador international pointed to Kante’s influence in shaping his game.
“He is my idol, everyone knows this,” he said.
“As I’ve said before, I just try to help the team and my team-mates. He was a very big player for Chelsea. I always watched videos of him and now I try to give my best.”
Kante is the only player to have won Premier League winners medals with different clubs in consecutive seasons.
Eric Cantona was a champion with Leeds in 1992, the final year of the former Division One, before helping Manchester United to the inaugural Premier League crown, whilst goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was a non-playing substitute for Chelsea in 2015 and Leicester in 2016.
The Blues have not been champions since Kante helped Antonio Conte’s side to the title in 2017 but look genuine contenders this term under Maresca.
A textbook Moises performance. 👌📚@DiscoverASR | #CFC | #CHEBRE pic.twitter.com/U4wubrgQSG
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 16, 2024
Should they defeat Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday they will go top of the table for the first time since December 2021, albeit potentially only for a few hours before Liverpool play Tottenham.
“It’s always important to win at home and seven wins in a row (in all competitions) feels so good,” said Caicedo. “We are going to keep on working hard, that’s the most important thing.
“To keep on winning and to keep the momentum, we are going to work even harder.
“In the Premier League you never know the result until the end. We were really good (against Brentford) and did well. Sometimes you need to suffer a little bit and we suffered to win the game.
“He (Maresca) helps us a lot with playing under pressure, and we are doing fantastic so far. The manager and the fans help us a lot to win games. They give us the tools to be even better in every game.”