Brighton know how difficult it will be to find a player of Caicedo’s energy, quality and work rate – and with no Ugochukwu, they could be even more encouraged to demand the full £100m asking price.
They may have an ace up their sleeve in trying to get Ugochukwu on loan – a player they know they like – while pondering a long-term replacement for Caicedo over the next season. But once again, that would play into Chelsea’s hands as it would almost certainly bring the price down.
Leaving Ugochukwu to Brighton would have unquestionably improved their chances of snagging Caicedo for a fee closer to their valuation. Instead, they face paying full whack for their top target or missing out on him altogether.
Now they have him for themselves, it is down to Todd Boehly, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart to work out how to convince Brighton to sell Caicedo – or Pochettino might just have to make do with the raw teenager Ugochukwu for this season.