According to Goal, former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf believes that Moises Caicedo's injury absence has an impact on Chelsea equivalent to losing John Terry or Gianfranco Zola. The Ecuadorian midfielder has played only 14 minutes in the early stages of the 2024-25 season, and Chelsea has struggled to secure victories in his absence.

Caicedo has played only 14 minutes this season.

His sole appearance came on August 30 in the match against his former club Brighton. After recovering from an early-season injury, the 24-year-old midfielder came off the bench against the Seagulls after more than an hour of play.

However, he was forced to leave the field with another injury before the Premier League match ended, suffering a fresh physical setback. A calf injury has kept him sidelined for over a month, causing him to miss four matches across all competitions.

With Caicedo's absence, Chelsea has earned only one point from three league matches, dropping from title contenders to 10th place in the standings.

The South American midfielder also missed the recent international break, as the club decided not to risk his fitness. He is expected to return for Chelsea's home match against Bournemouth on Saturday. Xabi Alonso will surely be hoping for that, because according to Leboeuf, who played alongside Terry and Zola, Caicedo's value can be compared to the legendary captain and the iconic Italian playmaker.

Does Chelsea need to strengthen the midfield after selling Enzo?

When asked whether Chelsea needs to sign a new midfielder on the transfer market after selling Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City in the summer transfer window, Leboeuf, the former Chelsea player who won the World Cup with France, told Goal in an interview: "That's a very good question. I think there is still a lot of work to be done in midfield and defense because Xabi Alonso wants to play with three center-backs."

"I don't think the current system is working well. In midfield, it's difficult to make a judgment because Caicedo is not there. In my opinion, Caicedo is a more crucial player than Enzo, and when you lose your key player, it's like when the team is without John Terry, Frank Lampard, or Didier Drogba, or for my generation, Zola – it's a completely different team."

"Without Caicedo, it's very difficult to assess this Chelsea team. Chelsea is struggling purely because the midfield lacks intensity, no doubt about that."

"When Caicedo returns, he could partner with Lavia or Reece James. The problem is that Caicedo himself is injury-prone, and Lavia has spent most of his time recovering from injuries, making it difficult to establish a stable system. The previous advantage of having Enzo and Caicedo together was that they could play at least 40 matches in a season, and that's the direction we should aim for."

"Again, before I see Caicedo back in midfield in reality, I don't want to make a definitive statement that Chelsea needs to sign players immediately after his return, because that would bring a major change."

"We are satisfied with Chelsea's current attacking display, and it's clear that midfield and defense need improvement, but it's currently difficult to say with certainty that the team absolutely needs to buy a new player."

"As long as Caicedo is still in the dressing room or on the bench, I won't conclude that reinforcements are necessary. You have Lavia, Valentín Barco, and James in your squad, but what matters is that these players must be healthy – that's what's essential."

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