Brighton fans voice their opinions after Moises Caicedo stays despite Arsenal interest

Albion had been adamant the midfielder was not for sale this month, rejecting a verbal £55m offer from Chelsea and two formal bids from Arsenal, reported to be worth £60m and £70m respectively.

After turning down the Premier League leaders second bid on Friday (January 27), Caicedo posted a statement on Instagram pleading for the club to let him go.

The Premier League leaders have since given up on their pursuit of the 21-year-old and have instead signed Chelsea midfielder Jorginho for £12m.

Brighton fans have taken to social media on deadline day to show their support for the young midfielder, despite the controversial social media post.

Andrew Tait (@AndrewTait67) wrote: “He’s 21 and I believe RDZ knows that. His tweet before was about the team spirit and I expect him to give his all. No hard feelings by this Brighton fan.”

David Chidley (@davechidley) added: “This sends a strong message to the money clubs, that you can't just flash the cash and buy who you want, when you want. Strong stance by Brighton which should be applauded by all clubs outside the self named top six.”

Caicedo, who has won 28 caps for Ecuador, has been given time off by Brighton until the transfer window closes so he can refocus for the second half of the season.

He did not feature in Roberto De Zerbi’s matchday squad for their 2-1 FA Cup victory over Liverpool on Sunday, but is expected to be available for this weekend’s league game at home to Bournemouth.

Mike (@MikeBHM) wrote: “On Saturday lets get behind Caicedo and give him support. He’s been class this season, maybe he was just badly advised by agent.

“Basically we need him to carry on playing well & Mac is suspended but top 7 is possible. We also got Palace on the 12th and defo want Caicedo for that.”

Last week, Caicedo picked Futbol Division as his new agents, leading many to believe the push for a move away from the south coast was driven by the agency rather then the player himself.

We Are Brighton (@wearebrighton) wrote: “Moises Caicedo is a young man who has been badly advised. The problem is with modern day Premier League football.”

Ivor Caplin (@ivorcaplin) tweeted: “He will be back at Lancing tomorrow and needs to learn that ‘Agents are not always right’ or in this instance actually understand how to behave at our club.

North Stand Seagull (@north_seagull) joked: “Caicedo's agents better have told him to turn away from Arsenals training complex and given him a return ticket to Lancing.”

Many fans believe that Caicedo will instead be sold in the summer for a fee closer to Brighton’s valuation – which is reported to be upwards of £80m.

Owen (@owen_bhafc) said: “Nice try for trying to engineer the move though. Arsenal can have him in the summer, not before.”

Patrick Fred Ochieng (@Pato_Official07) added: “Good business. They will ask for more money during the summer when they have all the time to get the best offers.”

However, other football fans believe Brighton have been too stubborn in their negotiations and kept a player at a football club against his wishes.

Ian Topping (@i50448067) said: “Got to feel sorry for him. He went public to force a move and the club held firm. How does he get the fans back on side now, knowing he wanted to go and that he will likely leave in the summer.”

intLiquor (@lint_liquor) wrote: “I feel for Caicedo. will probably be sold in a later season for less money as well.”