Tim Sherwood tells Arsenal not to waste money on Caicedo and sign Tielemans instead

By Lee Connor

Sky Sports pundit Tim Sherwood has claimed Arsenal would be better off going for Youri Tielemans than spending more than £70m on Moises Caicedo.

The Gunners are being linked with signing Caicedo after a whirlwind 24 hours. The Ecuadorian midfielder is the subject of a £60m+ bid and has since told Brighton he wants to leave. As yet, though, the Seagulls are having none of it.

And while Caicedo is highly-rated and wanted by a lot of clubs, Sherwood told Sky today that he thinks it’s too much money for Arsenal.

“He’s got to look at his mate Bissouma at Tottenham. Everyone was lauding about this boy. Where was he going to go, take his pick, Liverpool, he ended up at Tottenham and he’s not played. Sometimes you can look a world beater in a Brighton shirt. When they step up and play for a huge club it doesn’t happen for them,” Sherwood said.

“When everyone’s fit, he doesn’t play. We dug out some highlights of his game there. Do you see £70 million in someone who can run around and tackle? His passing range ain’t fantastic. He scores one goal in a blue moon.

“For me, it’s an awful lot of money. There are better options out there for Arsenal…Tielemans, would be another Leicester player I’m selling for Brendan.”

Clearly, Sherwood believes Caicedo is a bit overrated at this moment in time. Certainly, that £70m+ figure would normally be for a ready-made world-class player.

TBR’s View: Sherwood makes a good point

It’s not to question Arsenal’s scouting network or the logic in signing Caicedo, but Tim Sherwood does make a valid point.

Yes, Caicedo looks a real player and for the future, he will only get better. But when you look at a player like Tielemans, who has PL experience and has won trophies, it does seem odd to count him out.

Arsenal have long been linked with Tielemans as well. So the fact they seem to be moving on for Caicedo suggests they’ve had a change of heart somewhere down the line.