Ex-Liverpool star Criticises Chelsea FC over Caicedo deal.

Ex-Liverpool star Criticises Chelsea FC over Caicedo deal [Image: ChelseaFC/Twitter]

Liverpool legend John Aldridge has expressed his strong dissatisfaction with Chelsea FC following their triumph in securing the signing of Moises Caicedo, who Liverpool had been in negotiations with.

Liverpool had a £111 million agreement in place to secure the services of the 21-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder from Brighton. However, Caicedo ultimately moved to Stamford Bridge instead of Anfield.

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In a significant setback for Liverpool, Chelsea successfully sealed a record-breaking £115 million deal for Caicedo on Monday.

However, Aldridge, renowned for his goal-scoring prowess during his time with Liverpool in the late 1980s, launched a verbal tirade against Chelsea, adding that Liverpool's stature surpasses that of the Blues and accusing Chelsea of purchasing their way to prominence.

In his column for the Liverpool Echo, the 64-year-old Aldridge passionately stated: 'As soon as the player made clear he wanted to go to Chelsea over Liverpool, I didn’t want him at all. We are far bigger than Chelsea will ever be.

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'Missing out on this transfer has not hurt me like when (Fernando) Torres left us to go there, that was awful and hard to stomach. Going to Chelsea? When I was at Oxford United, we beat them three times in the space of four months. They have bought their way to where they are.'

Aldridge went on to suggest that the 'London way of life' was a huge appeal for Caicedo and that Chelsea lack the 'history' that the Reds do.

He said: 'In terms of the reasons behind Caicedo choosing Chelsea over Liverpool, they are a London club and some players see that as a big pull. With the Louis Vuitton shop on Oxford Street and the London way of life, they view that as a huge attraction.

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'Chelsea have got that, but they haven’t got the same selling point of Liverpool Football Club: history. We are a massive club in world football and that will always be there. If Caicedo wants to go to Chelsea, good riddance. We have to overcome this and trust Jurgen to get a player who can do that job.'

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