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Barcelona icon Carlos Puyol has thrown his weight behind Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo following the Blues' recent 6-0 win against Everton in the Premier League.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion star has been under fire for his run-of-the-mill performances so far, despite securing a British record transfer to Stamford Bridge for a whopping £115 million.
Describing Caicedo as a great player, Puyol said (via El Universo):
"A great player, who has the necessary quality, the necessary talent to be able to do important things; then other aspects must be given, but the most important thing is that he’s in a great team where he can grow a lot."
Goals have been tough to come by for Chelsea ever since Mauricio Pochettino, took over, however, the Blues managed to score six goals past the Everton defence.
Caicedo had a monumental impact on the game, managing six tackles and four interceptions.
Puyol also spoke of Ecuador's chances in the Copa America with a player like Caicedo in the squad. He stated (via El Universo):
"A team that competes well, and now we’ll see how far they can go in the Copa America with players like Caicedo, who is good; but not only him, because there are many young players who are showing a good level, a reflection of the great work they are doing."
Copa America is slated to begin on June 20 this year.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke argued over a penalty against Everton
Cole Palmer has been the Blues' saving grace in a campaign which has otherwise looked devoid of colour. He's the joint top-scorer in the Premier League, with 20 goals to his name.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland has 20 goals too, but while the Cityzens sit comfortably in the first spot, Chelsea are currently ninth on the table.
During their game against Everton, when the Blues were already leading 4-0, an argument broke out between Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke over a spot-kick.
Initially, Jackson and Madueke fought over the chance to take the spot-kick as Palmer had already bagged a first-half hat-trick. Being the west London side's regular penalty taker, Palmer, too got involved in the argument.
The decision was more or less settled by captain Conor Gallagher who instructed Madueke to give the ball to Palmer. While the Englishman netted his fourth goal of the night by sending Jordan Pickford the wrong way, Madueke looked far from impressed.
Reacting to the incident, gaffer Mauricio Pochettino said (via Mirror):
"For me, it is a shame. We cannot behave in this way. I told them that this was the last time that I will accept this type of behaviour."
Chelsea take on Manchester City in the semi-final of the FA Cup on April 20. City are unbeaten in their last eight meetings with the Blues.
