Brighton CEO reveals shock at Liverpool snub as Caicedo should’ve been ‘running up the M6’

Brighton CEO Paul Barber has revealed his surprise that Moises Caicedo turned down Liverpool in order to move to Chelsea this summer.

The Ecuador international sealed a move to the Blues on Monday with the west London outfit committed to paying £100m with another £15m potentially arriving in add-ons.

Liverpool had agreed a British transfer record deal with Brighton last week but Caicedo decided that he would prefer a move to Chelsea.

And Barber has questioned why Caicedo turned down a move to Liverpool and has insisted that “anyone would be running up the M6 for the chance to play at Anfield”.

The Brighton CEO said on the Caicedo deal: “Liverpool are a fantastic club – you’d imagine anyone would be running up the M6 for the chance to play at Anfield, but for whatever reason, Moises and his advisors decided London was their preferred destination.

“In that situation we’re in a difficult position; we’ve negotiated a British record deal deal and spent several days working with Liverpool – who were were professional throughout.

READ MORE: Mediawatch: Moises Caicedo should have joined Liverpool because Chelsea lost to Oxford in 1985

“At that point [when the player chooses not to go] we’re out of the loop, it is all between the player and Liverpool. When it became clear he isn’t going to be joining Liverpool, we have to go into a different mode, we then have to do it all again [negotiate a British record transfer], which we did.”

Jamie Carragher has been outspoken on Liverpool’s transfer business this summer, describing it as “an absolute mess, a joke and embarrassing” on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football show.

Asked where the day’s transfer activity leaves Liverpool, Carragher replied: “In a pretty difficult place, people know they are desperate.

“They put a bid in for Lavia today for £60m when they refused to pay £50m four or five days ago. It’s an absolute mess and a joke.

“The biggest problem about it is that Liverpool have known they have needed midfield reinforcements since August of last season, 12 months ago. So to not have things in order…”

Carragher added: “People think I defend FSG, I have no relationship with them at all, but this is not on the owners. The structure of the football club.

“When Liverpool were winning the Premier League and got to Champions League finals, what were they doing? They were not spending as much money as the other teams, but they were producing good players.

“Yes, they’ve got a great manager but they had Michael Edwards at the top of the club as director of football, and a transfer committee beneath them. It worked. He left.

“His No 2 then took over and was in the job for six months then he left. You have to ask the reason why they’re moving on from the football club. I don’t know what’s behind the scenes.

“Schmadtke has become in and he has a relationship with Jurgen Klopp – but he’s only there for the summer. That’s all he’s there for and then moves on.

“They haven’t got deals done – that is your job in that role, to get deals over the line. The two players they bought had buy-out clauses, there’s no negotiation, no big deal to go about it, you just meet the buy-out clause. So Liverpool have not got big deals over the line and it’s been embarrassing.

“That’s why I will not be critical of the owners – they were willing to pay £111m and break the transfer record. To start with Lavia, not pay a certain amount, to then go to Caicedo and then go back to Lavia, it’s an absolute mess, a joke and it’s embarrassing.”