What Chelsea target Alex Scott once said about Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice
Bournemouth and England midfielder Alex Scott could be lining up alongside Moises Caicedo at Chelsea in 2027.
It is thought that Chelsea are leading the race to sign Scott, who they pursued in the summer. The Blues could not convince the Cherries to sell the 23-year-old in the previous transfer window, but they are not giving up on landing his signature.
Last season, there were a lot of debates involving the Premier League’s top midfielders, including both Caicedo and Arsenal’s Declan Rice. Scott had his say in an interview back in February.
For the Bournemouth man, Rice is the toughest player he has had to face. However, he has also acknowledged Caicedo as a tough opponent.
Speaking to Transfermarkt, Scott said: “Dec is probably the hardest that I’ve played against. To be fair, Moises Caicedo is also tough. I’m maybe not directly against him as much as he’s more of a sitting midfielder. But you just know he’s got that factor where dribbling past him is always going to be hard.”
It’s time to talk about our midfield situation… who’s getting your vote?
Chelsea have been without Caicedo this season because of injury and have just not coped in his absence. So far, he has only appeared in the 4-3 win over former club Brighton & Hove Albion.
In total, Chelsea have conceded 12 goals in the Premier League this season, more than any other team. The sooner he returns, the better.
Moises Caicedo’s and Declan Rice’s 2025/26 stats compared
Caicedo and Rice both started the 2025/26 season strongly, and at one point, the former was arguably the better midfielder. Unfortunately for Chelsea, the Ecuadorian could not sustain his form, which really tailed off after the new year.
Rice scored more goals and provided more assists than Caicedo but was playing as a No.8, whereas Caicedo was more of a No.6. As a six, Caicedo did more work defensively, averaging more tackles and interceptions per game than his Arsenal rival.
| Player | League games | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Tackles per game | Interceptions per game |
| Moises Caicedo | 33 | 2,802 | 3 | 1 | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| Declan Rice | 36 | 3,099 | 4 | 5 | 1.9 | 1 |
Caicedo had a lot of work to do in Chelsea’s midfield last term. Hopefully the signing of Scott, if Chelsea can get a deal done, will help out the Ecuador international in the middle of the park. He cannot do everything by himself, and even if he could, Chelsea still need another reliable midfielder for when the 24-year-old is unavailable. That has become as clear as day this season.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
