Moises Caicedo might not handle this Chelsea burden as well as Enzo Fernández did

Enzo Fernández left Chelsea in a dramatic deadline day move to Manchester City and his departure may have left his former side in a worse position than initially thought.

The Argentina international was one of the Blues' most stable figures and arguably their most important player before his exit and him leaving a side that no longer possesses clear midfield options means a fellow midfielder has now taken his mantle.

As one of Xabi Alonso's only out-and-out midfield choices, Moisés Caicedo has become Chelsea's most important player, but he may not be able to handle the burden in the same way Fernández managed to.

Moisés Caicedo might not handle midfield burden as well as Enzo Fernández

As Fernández bid farewell to Stamford Bridge to join Man City in the final hours of deadline day, there was an anticipation that Chelsea would bring in a new signing to replace him just in time.

A move to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco was agreed for a reported £47million fee, but the eight-time French champions pulled out of the deal at the last minute, leaving the Blues with no replacement for Fernández upon the transfer window's closure.

The Argentine's departure and the failure to replace him as left Chelsea surprisingly short of options in midfield with Caicedo by far the most important and experienced of those. However, he has been hindered by injuries at the start of the season, keeping him out of action for all but 14 minutes.

Having missed the opening win at Fulham, the Ecuador captain made his return off the bench in the 68th minute of the 4-3 victory over Brighton, but was brought off in the 82nd minute after suffering an injury. Alonso confirmed that he will miss Saturday's clash with Hull City as he is not prepared to take any risks.

Roméo Lavia, Valentín Barco, and full backs Malo Gusto and Reece James have filled in at the base of midfield for Alonso in Caicedo's absence, but they have merely painted over the cracks as the lack of an experienced and viable midfielder has made Chelsea easy to break through, playing a big part in the 10 goals they have conceded so far this season.

Caicedo has regularly been billed as one of the Premier League's best midfielders, often being compared to the likes of Rodri and Declan Rice, so most would believe that he is more than capable of stepping up to be Chelsea's most important player, but his audition so far hasn't been up to scratch.

Missing four of the Blues' first five games hardly paints Caicedo as the ideal candidate to replace Fernández, making it seem like he is unable to carry the entire midfield like his Argentinian counterpart did for over three years.

There is still plenty of time for the Ecuador international to recover and find full fitness once again to prove that he can lead Chelsea, but so far things aren't looking great for Caicedo. His side's midfield is in disarray and they need an experienced player to lead it, but it's not certain if their number 25 can be the one.

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