Caicedo returns to his former club Brighton & Hove Albion this evening – the first of our back-to-back fixture at the Amex Stadium – as the Blues bid to secure a place in the the FA Cup fifth round.

The Ecuador international will do so in fine form, having earned widespread praise for his performances this season. Caicedo has established himself as a key figure under Maresca, with his 25 starts in all competitions more than any other Chelsea player in 2024/25.

And ahead of today’s visit to Brighton, our head coach underlined why Caicedo is such a crucial figure in his team.

‘Since we started he has been doing fantastic in all aspects,’ said Maresca, when asked about the impressive recent performances of Caicedo.

‘He’s improving a lot, he’s understanding the game, he’s going in different positions and he’s open-minded. He’s a good guy, he’s humble, he works hard, so for a coach he is the perfect player.

‘He’s playing a lot of minutes, but I think if you compare to other players at Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester City, there are many players that play more than Moi is playing for us. Moi is playing more or less one game a week and at 23 if you cannot play one game a week that means there is something wrong.’

It is not only Caicedo's individual quality that makes him such an important player for Chelsea, though. Maresca has highlighted the midfielder's influence on the rest of the side and his ability to bring out the best of his team-mates.

‘The good thing about Moi is whoever is playing next to Moi is playing good. When you find a player like Moi that makes the players next to them better, it shows how good they are.

‘All the players that have played next to Moi this season – Enzo [Fernandez], Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall], Romeo [Lavia], Renato [Veiga] when he was with us – they are doing well and it is probably because the one next to them is good and helps them on the pitch.

‘So Moi is a fantastic player, not just because of him, but also because he is making the rest better.’