William Gallas believes Moises Caicedo will come good for Chelsea, but expects more from his fellow Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
Both joined during Todd Boehly’s overhaul of the squad, with the Argentine coming from Benfica, and Ecuadorian Caicedo joining from Brighton in the summer, both for big-money fees.
Both players have struggled to fulfil expectations at Stamford Bridge so far, with new manager Mauricio Pochettino yet to force through any meaningful improvement on the pitch, and ahead of their weekend clash with Manchester United, Gallas thinks that the two will eventually pair up productively.
He told Lord Ping: “I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Enzo Fernandez scored two goals playing alongside Moises Caicedo. When Fernandez joined the club last season, you could tell that he didn’t want to be the deepest player in midfield and sit in front of the back four. He found that job challenging, and it took time for him to settle.
“He has Caicedo next to him now. His role is to protect his defence and that gives Fernandez the opportunity to go forward and hurt teams with his quality - that is his game. Everyone can see he has the quality to be a big player for Chelsea. We’ve been waiting for him to demonstrate it on a consistent basis. I expect him to keep performing at a high level and to keep scoring goals for Chelsea.
“I think it’s understandable that Moises Caicedo hasn’t dominated games wearing a Chelsea shirt yet. It is a much bigger challenge playing for a club like Chelsea than it is for playing for Brighton. The pressure is a lot bigger at Chelsea and most of the players that play with him are international footballers.
“He is playing for a team where the level has raised and it’s a process for him to adapt to his teammates. It will take him a little bit of time to feel confident, especially at his age. It would have been foolish to think that he would produce right away. He is a young player that is settling down in a new city, there have been a lot of changes for him. I think he is improving with every game.
“Against Brighton, he wanted to show his old club how good he is. When you play against your old club, you always want to show who you are as a player. Sometimes you can be a little bit emotional too. It’s never easy when you play against your old club and your teammates. He had a great game.”