Coach who discovered Brighton star Caicedo predicts he will be the priciest Ecuadorian ever

Moises Caicedo, the 21-year-old midfielder for Brighton, could have been chasing title glory with Arsenal if he had his way three months ago. However, he is now running the midfield for Brighton, who are two steps away from their first ever FA Cup triumph. Caicedo made his Premier League debut last April and has become another rags-to-riches star for Brighton. A year ago, he was a mystery man to Brighton fans, but the club turned down three bids from Arsenal last transfer window, including one for £70 million. Caicedo, who grew up playing football on Santo Domingo’s dusty streets, has become the costliest footballer Ecuador has ever produced and is also on the radar of Liverpool and Newcastle. Ivan Guerra, an ex-journeyman player and community coach, discovered Caicedo and set up a team to give young people in Santo Domingo a chance to play football. Despite having no ground and all fixtures being played away, Caicedo and his team stuck at it and after one game against a Quito-based police academy side called Espoli, their opponents asked eight Santo Domingo players for trials. Caicedo was one of them and was soon making a name for himself on a bigger stage in the country’s capital before Brighton signed him. Caicedo has never forgotten his roots and remains close to Guerra, with whom he jointly set up the Moises Caicedo & Ivan Guerra Escuelita de Futbol for youngsters from four to 16 in his homeland.