After weeks of talks between Chelsea and Brighton and a number of failed bids, it was Liverpool who first swooped in and agreed a fee to sign Caicedo during the summer transfer window.
Caicedo, however, declined to enter into talks with Liverpool and instead kept his focus solely on Chelsea, waiting for the Blues to eventually agree a British-record fee of £115m to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
The Ecuadorian’s agent previously revealed that Caicedo moved to west London because he’d already given his word – a sentiment echoed by Brighton CEO Paul Barber during the summer.
But another factor appears to have been in play for Caicedo himself, involving Chelsea’s former record signing Fernandez.
“I called and told him that he had to accept and come because Chelsea is a great and ambitious club,” Fernandez revealed. “And I have to thank God for giving me the chance to play alongside him at Chelsea because we all know the great player he is, but he is also a fantastic person, so I’m thankful he chose Chelsea.”
On the impact of that conversation, Caicedo explained: “It was a nice chat. I mean, the fact that a world champion was phoning you, one of the best midfielders in the world… receiving that call was very nice and he convinced me to come here.
“He said it was a great club, that there are many young players, there was a togetherness here. I have always enjoyed the bond in a team because I think that, if there is that bond, we can deal with any situation we may face: pressure, everything. So, that’s what motivated me to come here.
“Now, I’m enjoying playing alongside him, in training as well, in rondos. We are always together. So, I’m very happy and I’m trying to do things better every day, as Enzo said, to be a good example for everyone at the club.”
The duo, appearing on Sky Sports’ Big Interview, have already backed Chelsea to re-establish themselves as one of the Premier League’s top teams once again, with both Caicedo and Fernandez keen to ensure they go down in club history for all the right reasons.
“I want to win many trophies with this club, the Champions League, the Premier League,” Caicedo said.
“I want to win every possible trophy there is and be part of the generation that will make history with this club because this is a very historic club, but there is a new generation. What we all want is to win many trophies with this club and be remembered forever.”
Fernandez added: “I won many trophies so young and in such a short time as a professional, but that’s already in the past. I already forgot about it and we’re now on a quest for more.
“I’m obviously here to keep winning trophies at club level, which is the most important thing, and I hope we’ll win many titles at Chelsea.”
