Joaquin Correa was forced to sub off early in the match against Milan and coach Simone Inzaghi decided to replace him with Vedat Muriqi and not Felipe Caicedo, who is generally the first option in these situations. The manager stated after the game that he made the call because the Ecuadorian striker was fatigued after starting few days earlier against Napoli, however, the played told the press that he felt great later that night. According to a report coming from Rome-based newspaper Il Messaggero, the input to use Muriqi over him came directly from the management.
Muriqi was one of Lazio’s most expensive acquisitions in recent years as he was acquired for €18.5M from Fenerbahce, however he has struggled to find his footing in Serie A so far and also missed time with a calf injury.
The publication adds that Caicedo has long been coveted by Fiorentina and might transfer if somebody presented a €6/8M offer, since he would prefer a bigger role. A swap with Patrick Cutrone, who is on his way out, is a possibility, while Lazio are interested in Cristiano Biraghi, who has been one of the Viola’s best performers so far. The 32-year-old forward is set to meet with president Claudio Lotito and director Igli Tare soon in order to discuss his future at the club.
Our view
Caicedo has had an extraordinary amount of success as a super sub and would be deserving of playing more, but that is unlikely to happen at Lazio given the quality of their starters. If the priority is indeed to give more playing time to Muriqi to protect the investment, which is somewhat understandable, Caicedo might be headed to another team in January.