It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times. Or something. Going into the FA Cup fourth round tie with Manchester City, it looked like we were going to have our cake and eat it too. Despire a fair amount of rotation amid the hostile environs of the Etihad—wait—does jaded diffidence count as “hostile”? Were it not for the boiserous away fans, one might have thought we were back to COVID-lockdown era empty stadiums. Anyway, a mixed squad had Man City on the ropes for long stretches until Thomas Partey picked up a knock and had to come off. Instead of all that cake, we came away with the blurst of times: got knocked out and suffered a major injury to a vital player.

Okay, so “major” injury might distort the situation. We don’t know the extent of Partey’s injury ot the length of his layoff. From the look of things, Kevin de Bruyne delivered a sharp elbow to his rib cage. Whether he cracked a rib or only has a boo-boo that can be fixed with a My Little Pony brand bandage, we’re looking down the barrel of a gun where the light at the end of the tunnel is the same stumble we suffered at the end of last season. This is arguably the one position we’re most vulnerable at. Elneny’s injury means that Partey’s most-reliable backup will also be unavailable for some time, and Lokonga sadly showed that he’s not ready to deputise. 

All of this makes crystal clear what all of us—including, I’m sure, Arteta and Edu—have worried about since the start of the season. Painful memories from the last few weeks of last season now fade in comparison. Instead of clinging desperately to fourth, we’re now standing proudly atop the table, five poitns clear with a game in hand. It could all just slip away again…

…unless we can pry Moises Caicedo away from an increasingly stubborn Brighton, who may resent us somewhat after taking the frozen-out Trossard off their hands. He has after all already shown his quality in his two brief appearances since joining. Whatever the thinking is over at Brighton doesn’t seem to make much sense. They’ve apparently told Caicedo that he will not be in the squad when Brighton face Liverpool on Tuesday and to stay away from the training gound until the transfer window closes on Wednesday. While they have a right to be irritated at Caicedo’s statement in which he stated that he “would be proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton”. I also understand their reluctance to sell this late in the window, which doesn’t leave much time to actually use that record fee. Last I checked, the Seagulls had a reasonable chance at Europa League qualification.

All sympathies aside, we have a Prem title to chase. If our credentials were fragile before, they look positively shattered now. I’m not one for hyperbole. There’s nothing I hate more. Nothing. Much as I would love to see Brighton finish above Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham, I would thrill to see us win the Prem. Caicedo is Prem-proven and on the radar of many other clubs. For as maddening as the Mudryk saga was, it showed that we do have a few quid laying around—something Brighton have surely noticed as well. They’ve been obdurate in their opposition to selling him, but everyone’s available if the price is right. What we have to do then is to find that right price, that Goldilocks zone between what they want and what we’re willing to pay. I’ve supported Edu’s stance of not getting into bidding wars and of walking away if a fee exceeds his valuation…but I hope there’s some elasticity to that stance.

What’s Caicedo worth? How high should we be willing to go? Is this all just an overreaction to what may end up being a mild bruise?