Chelsea suffer £100m blow as top midfielder is ruled out of Leeds trip

Chelsea will be without key midfielder Moises Caicedo for tomorrow's Premier League trip to Leeds United after he was sent off against Arsenal.

- by Kyle Newbould

Caicedo was shown a straight red card in the first-half of Sunday’s fiery North London derby for a studs-first challenge on Mikel Merino.

The Chelsea midfielder was initially booked but had that yellow card upgraded after a VAR check, forcing his side to play 50 minutes of a 1-1 against title favourites Arsenal with 10 men.

FA rules state Caicedo, who joined Chelsea for £100 million in 2023, will receive an automatic three-game ban for violent conduct following the red card, the first of which will be served on Wednesday.

The Ecuador international’s absence is a major blow, given he has been one of the Premier League’s best midfielders this season.