Moises Caicedo has said moving to Chelsea was ‘100% the right decision’ after reflecting on his first year with the club.
Caicedo was subject of a transfer battle between Chelsea and Liverpool last summer with the Premier League giants prepared to break the British transfer record to land the Ecuador international.
The 22-year-old turned down Liverpool in favour of a move to Chelsea, who spent a record-breaking £115m to sign the midfielder from Brighton.
Caicedo endured a tough start as Chelsea struggled for consistent results, but an improvement in his own performances coincided with an upturn for the Blues who secured a top-six finish and European qualification.
The record recruit is now looking forward to the new season under newly-appointed head coach Enzo Maresca and has reflected on his choice to sign for Chelsea.
Despite a challenging first few months at Stamford Bridge, Caicedo is confident he made the right decision last summer.
“I still remember one year ago the difficult decision,” Caicedo told the club’s official website.
“Liverpool is a big team but Chelsea were with me for a couple months and I felt like I couldn’t miss this move.
“They were with me in tough times. It was a difficult decision but 100% the right one.”
On his start with Chelsea, Caicedo added: “At the beginning it was tough for me because it is a big club and that you always have to win every game. It was tough for me as I was at Brighton where the pressure is less. Chelsea is different.
“There’s a lot of pressure because of the club’s history, the players who were here [previously]. It was really tough to be there, but in the last four or five months I felt more comfortable at the club because I had a lot of people around me.
“[I was struggling with] confidence because I have the quality, and I know the player I am.
“But sometimes if you are not strong in your mind it is difficult. After every game I watch my game. A guy I speak to regularly told me, ‘Moises, you are a good player, you can do whatever you want on the pitch with responsibility. Just trust in yourself. If Chelsea paid that [much money] for you, it’s because you are a very good player’.
“I hope to perform even better and show my qualities.”
