Newcastle United may have Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali in their midfield nowadays, but former manager Steve Bruce has revealed he tried to sign Moises Caicedo at a bargain price during his time as manager of the club.
Before Caicedo joined Brighton & Hove Albion in February 2021, Newcastle were monitoring the Ecuadorian at Independiente del Valle as he earned rave reviews due to his performances in the Copa Libertadores.
Still only 19-years-old at the time, Newcastle had the opportunity to sign Caicedo for more than £110m less than what he cost Chelsea just two-and-a-half years later. Alas, they lost out, as Bruce explains.
“When I was at Newcastle we tried to sign Moises Caicedo for £4.5 million and I remember thinking what a good player he was," Bruce told William Hill podcast No Tippy Tappy Football.
"The chief scout at Newcastle, Steve Nixon, came and told me that I had to see him play and that he was sensational.
“He ended up choosing Brighton instead of Newcastle and that will go down as one that we missed out on because now he’s gone on to become the British record transfer fee for £115 million, but he is a top, top player.”
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Caicedo didn't become an overnight success at Brighton, however. Despite joining in February 2021, he had to wait for his first-team debut until August 2021 in the EFL Cup. A season-long loan at Belgian side Beerschot followed, before he returned to England prepared for Premier League football.
Brighton certainly thought he was ready, he featured in 37 of their league games last season and proved vital to their sixth-place finish and landmark qualification for the Europa League. Liverpool and Chelsea then came calling, though there was only ever one place he wanted to end up at.
Bruce, meanwhile, was sacked as Newcastle United boss in October 2021, with Eddie Howe replacing him in the dugout at St. James' Park. An eight-month stint at West Brom followed, but he has failed to find another managerial job since the summer of 2022.
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