Another terrible piece of news: Brighton received yet another heartbreaking piece of news as the head coach and star player confirmed…

Another terrible piece of news: Brighton received yet another heartbreaking piece of news as the head coach and star player confirmed…

Another awful piece of news: The head coach and star player of Brighton disclosed yet another devastating piece of news.

Roberto De Zerbi, the manager of Brighton, has acknowledged that his team is “ready to go forward” without Moises Caicedo. Throughout the January transfer window, the midfield player was heavily linked to moves to Chelsea and Arsenal, but the Seagulls have shown little interest in selling.

According to Football.london sources, Chelsea had a bid of £55 million quickly turned down earlier in the window, and the Gunners themselves had a bid of £60 million turned down on Friday. Since then, Caicedo’s future has grown uncertain, as he acknowledged in a statement that he wanted to leave the club this winter.

“I am grateful to Mr. Bloom [the Seagulls owner] and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League, and I feel I have always done my best for them,” the statement continued. “I play football with love and a smile every time.

As the youngest of ten siblings, I grew up in poverty in Santa Domingo, Ecuador. Being the most decorated football player in Ecuadorian history has always been my dream. I’m happy to have helped Brighton set a record transfer fee, which they can use to reinvest and support the team’s further success.

“The fans have taken me into their hearts, and they will always be in my heart, so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity.”

Caicedo missed the thrilling FA Cup victory over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon after being told to stay away from the team until after Tuesday’s deadline. Prior to the match, De Zerbi was questioned about the 21-year-old again, this time regarding the drama surrounding Caicedo’s transfer. This was before the last two days of the transfer window.

After the victory, he added, “Being a coach is challenging enough for me. It’s too much to be both chairman and coach.

Being a coach is challenging enough for me already. Being both a chairman and a coach would be too challenging, but [Moises] Caicedo is an incredibly nice man. I can understand, as I can myself, when I’m 21 and I get a request from a major league team that plays in Europe,” De Zerbi stated (via SussexLive).

“While I would prefer that he stay with us for the entire season, we are prepared to move on without him. I believe I need guys in a few different positions. We have a strong team, but we can still become better during the transfer market window, as Tony [Bloom], with whom I have had numerous conversations, is fully aware of my views.

“We lost [Leandro] Trossard, and it could cause us problems if we lose Caicedo. You can stay [like this], but I don’t like it if we want to compete for a European berth or to place highly on the table if you don’t stay like this.”

Following rumors that Brighton had signed AIK midfielder Yasin Ayari, De Zerbi made his remarks. Over the past few days, rumors have circulated that Caicedo would need to find a replacement in order to persuade the team to approve his departure. Ayari’s arrival is anticipated to be verified in the next few days.