That Barcelona SC intends to hire Felipe Caicedo is the version that circulated even before Antonio Alvarez was sworn in as the new Canarian president on Wednesday. At the ceremonial change of leaders, the coach neither confirmed nor rejected the alleged interest in the 35-year-old striker, who does not have a club today. “As I said, as far as recruitment is concerned you will find out through (Canarian) social media,” Alvarez said when asked about the topic at an impromptu press conference.

After spending time in England, Spain, Italy, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, Caicedo landed in Saudi Arabia in August 2022 to join the Abha club, with whom he signed a one-season contract in exchange for $5 million (the figure stated in various international websites).

Máximo Banguera’s request to Felipe Caicedo for Barcelona SC: I think you can work hard economically to be able to play for Idol

Pro league, with veterans

Mauro Velásquez Villacís (1943-2019), a famous sports journalist from Guayaquil, reiterated that “Ecuadorian managers do not hire a footballer for his present, but for his past.” Independiente del Valle got rid of Jonatan Bauman at the end of 2022 because he only scored six goals that year. Barcelona signed the Argentinian for the goals he scored in 2021, when he was the top scorer in the national tournament that year. Bauman was a disaster in the yellow jersey. The same example applies to Fernando Gaibor, whose last great season was in 2017. Since then, the wheel has taken off.

Felipe Caicedo to Barcelona SC: how many million dollars would it cost? This will not come ‘at any cost’, he predicted

In the case of Caicedo – in whom Barcelona SC would be interested – he experienced his last outstanding moments as a striker in the 2020-2021 season, when he scored goals in a forced rhythm for Lazio. The tricolors also stood out with a series of eight games in which they scored decisive goals for the Romans around the 90th minute. What followed next Philippe He was poor at Genoa, Inter Milan and Abha Club.

Is Felipe Caicedo an option for Barcelona?

From a sporting point of view, Caiced’s years are not negative. Veterans like Peruvian Paolo Guerrero, who will turn 40 in January 2024, play in the Pro League. Bolivian Marcelo Moreno Martins, 37. Damián Díaz will turn 38 this semester. And Cristiano Pelleran is two months away from the age of 42. The problem with all of them is that their levels are low or discrete (Guerrero and Martins’ points are very low). Or they play little, like Díaz, who replaced 88% of the times he started as a starter.

Felipe Caicedo mocks Vito Muñoz, who revealed the player’s alleged demands to sign for Barcelona SC

$1,666,666 for each goal

Caiced’s numbers at the Abha club are very bad. Each hit by the Ecuadorian, three in that team, cost the Arabs 1,666,666 dollars and cents. The first was done on 11 October 2022 in a 3-1 win in the Saudi Pro League. In the Copa del Rey, on December 21, 2022, he scored in his team’s 4–3 win. And Caicedo has not scored since March 10, 2023, when Abha Club drew 2-2 in the Saudi Pro League (according to the statistics of the specialized portal Transfermarkt.

He hasn’t played since last May. Felipao would receive a monthly salary of $416,666 in Saudi Arabia. Is that amount within Barcelona SC’s reach? According to Transfermarktspecialized website and world reference in terms of transfer costs, the current market value is 400,000 euros ($432,240) in the last review on October 25.

Caicedo spoke about his future for the portal in recent days EuroFoot: “I am ready to go anywhere, but not at any price. You need a good project that is interesting, otherwise I don’t think it will work.” (D)