Petit: Caicedo Has "Long Way To Go" To Replicate Makelele And Kante

Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , Premier League icon Emmanuel Petit has some high praise for Chelsea's new signing Estevao and has expressed what this could mean for fellow Chelsea star Cole Palmer.

The former midfielder has described Moise Caicedo has one of the in the Premier League, but insists he has a long way to go if he wants to emulate the legacies of Makelele and Kante at the club.

In addition, Petit spoke in detail about Chelsea's goalkeeping conundrum and insists there is no rush to replace Roberto Sanchez as the clubs starting keeper despite criticism.

Estevao

“Exciting”, Estevao

I like the way Enzo Maresca is managing Estevao, giving him time to play. He's not always in the starting eleven, often coming on as a substitute, and he played brilliantly against Liverpool.

He's a huge talent, probably Chelsea's most exciting winger, and I appreciate how they're protecting him. We've seen many promising young stars crack under pressure, but I think they're using him in the right way, step by step.

Estevao x Palmer Linkup

He’s done good things and shines every time he’s on the pitch. But I’d probably put more pressure on other players who haven’t been responding enough, in my opinion.

Of course, Cole Palmer has been so important, especially in big games, but I think the responsibility has to be shared with other strikers and wingers. Alejandro Garnacho, for example, isn’t the only one. Many players are far from their best level.

If you start to put pressure on Estevao, I don’t think that’s the right solution for him. I think he must have pressure on him, but it’s not the right idea to put all the pressure on his shoulders. We have to be careful about that.

Cole Palmer

Palmers Fitness Issues

Chelsea need to be careful with Cole Palmer. Look at Paris Saint-Germain, they're still able to win games, especially in Ligue 1 and the Champions League, despite dealing with so many injuries to their first XI. Both clubs played so many games last season, so I'm not surprised they are dealing with injuries.

They have to be very careful, especially when it comes to rotating their best players. I don't believe Chelsea will play the same number of games they did last season, competing in every single competition until the end. For me, their main targets will be the Premier League and the Champions League, so they have to be careful and make the right rotations.

However, when you look at Chelsea on the table right now, they are close to the top teams in the Premier League and doing quite well in the Champions League. It's the same here in Paris, and sometimes injuries come at the right time, especially when you start the season.

Paris Saint-Germain is different because they are so far ahead of the rest of the teams in the league, so they can afford to play without half the team every single game. These early-season injuries could be beneficial for the rest of the team and the club when you come into the second part of the season.

Moise Caicedo

Caicedo Is Among The Best

Since he signed for Brighton, I think Moises Caicedo has been among the best midfielders in the Premier League, and he has lived up to expectations, especially given his price tag, since he signed for Chelsea. I remember a lot of speculation. When he first came to Chelsea, it was a mess both off and on the pitch. He was probably one of the few who responded on the pitch.

Since then, I think he has steadily reached his best level. But you have to be very careful too, because this guy is so important for the team, for what he does, but also the spirit he brings to the pitch.

So you have to be very careful, just like with Cole Palmer. You have to be very careful. Against Liverpool, Chelsea needed someone to protect the defence, someone hard-working with a great spirit, but he was also complaining physically. So you have to be very careful. If you lose Caicedo, that will be such a big problem for Chelsea to cope with.

Caicedo Compared To Makelele Kante?

I can see why Moises Caicedo is being compared to Claude Makelele and N’Golo Kante, but he still has a long way to go. I really appreciate what he said in the newspapers because he's been asked the same question.

He said he's far from those guys because those guys are playing different roles, especially Makelele. He was playing an old-school defensive midfielder, a typical old-school defensive midfielder, just like what he did with Real Madrid.

You cannot really compare, but I can understand why people, especially Chelsea fans, are trying to compare Caicedo because he's such a huge hit.

He receives so much love from the crowd, so I can understand that. But he has already achieved a lot of things since arriving. Still, I think he needs to win the Premier League, and he needs to do something very good in the Champions League too, because those guys we're talking about, they won so much with Chelsea.

Fernandez x Caicedo Midfield Partnership

I think Enzo Fernandez did well last season, scoring goals, and I believe he's still doing a good job. He's playing in a different position for both his club and national team, and these players are giving 100% on the pitch. They are very dedicated to the club, and even when things are difficult, you can have confidence in them.

They possess quality, a great heart, and excellent character and personality. Honestly, if you only focus on the price tag, then there's no discussion. You can't talk about it. But if you ask Chelsea fans if they're unhappy with Fernandez or Moises Caicedo, you won't find many supporters who say they are disappointed with them. I've been following them since they signed for Chelsea, and honestly, I was questioning Fernandez, especially when he first came in his debut season.

But he has stayed, and I think he's met expectations. I know he can do more than that, and he will. As soon as the team improves collectively, I believe we will see the best of Fernandez, too, because, as I said before, so many players are far from their best level, especially up front.

This means these players are controlling the midfield. So, I am very confident in both players.

Roberto Sanchez

Chelsea’s Keeper Conundrum

I understand the situation. The goalkeeper situation has been a long-standing issue for Chelsea. They've had great goalkeepers in the past and are looking to recapture that.

They didn't want to sign another goalkeeper, and you can understand why, especially with their sister club, Strasbourg. Mike Penders is on loan at Strasbourg and doing very well. He's young, but I believe there's no pressure on Chelsea to buy a goalkeeper right now because of him. They're keeping a close eye on his development at Strasbourg.

This has been the case with many players at Strasbourg; Chelsea follow their progress game after game. Regarding Robert Sanchez, I think he performed very well during the Club World Cup.

People focus on his mistakes, especially the one against Manchester United, and I understand that. He does make mistakes, but he also brings something interesting to Chelsea, particularly with his ball distribution.

I know the priority for a goalkeeper is to save goals, but he's not the worst goalkeeper in the Premier League. While they could have a better goalkeeper, there's no rush to pressure Sanchez because of Penders' situation. Don't forget that Mike Penders comes from Genk, just like Thibaut Courtois did before he signed for Chelsea.

If Penders continues to perform well, it would be a huge step for him to return to Chelsea, as it's a different level of football. However, if they buy another goalkeeper now, it would create problems in the dressing room with Sanchez and the third goalkeeper What would they do at the end of the season if they wanted to bring Penders back to the club? It would be a mess. There's no rush to make such a move.

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