Who is José Cifuentes? – The LAFC midfielder has elements of Caicedo and Pogba

Brighton interested? 

“When you win a title, then it is quite normal that your best players are linked with a move to a bigger club,” Los Angeles FC assistant coach Marc Dos Santos said while laughing when asked about the rumor surrounding midfielder José Cifuentes. The 23-year-old Ecuadorian national team player is considered one of the best players in Major League Soccer and is frequently linked with a move to Europe. 

Although Dos Santos pointed out to Transfermarkt that the business can always change quickly, for now, it appears that Cifuentes will remain put at the 2022 MLS Cup winners. Of course, Brighton midfielder Moisés Caicedo could bring a new dynamic to the market. Cifuentes compatriot has been linked with a move to both Chelsea and Arsenal, and his move, in theory, could also create a market for Cifuentes. 

LAFC signed Cifuentes for just €2.73 million from Universidad Católica in January 2020 on the back of a successful U20 Copa Sudamericana, which Ecuador won, and the U19 World Cup, where he helped his country to finish third. And whether he leaves this winter or in the summer, the club is expected to make a major transfer profit. 

José Cifuentes: LAFC beat out the City Group

“Cifuentes played in all nine games at the Copa Sudamericana—at times as captain—and was one of the leaders,” Transfermarkt.de journalist and Ecuador specialist Benedikt Duda said. “That’s when scouts first noticed him, and then he drew even more attention at the U19 World Cup in Poland, where he scored one of the most beautiful goals of the tournament.” 

Duda pointed out that following the tournament, Lecce, Celtic, Porto, and the City Football Group were interested in Cifuentes. “The dream move to England appeared close, but Universidad Católica were unhappy with the financial offer made,” Duda said. Furthermore, the club wanted to ensure that Cifuentes would get a move that would help him develop rather than become part of a club’s loan army. So instead, the club took the offer from MLS.

The move to LAFC was certainly a positive move for Cifuentes. Since joining LAFC, Cifuentes has seen his market value grow from €1m to €12m making him the most valuable player in the squad, the fourth most valuable Ecuadorian worldwide, and one of the ten most valuable players in MLS overall. “He was very raw when he first arrived here,” Dos Santos said. “He had that raw technique and strength that still needed to be formed.” 

Cifuentes a natural Caicedo replacement? – A “lazy” comparison 

Even though Dos Santos feels that raw ability is something that both Cifuentes and Caicedo shared when they first left Ecuador, he also stresses that it might be to easy to consider LAFC as a natural replacement for his compatriot at Brighton. “It would be a bit lazy even,” Dos Santos said, who knows Caicedo well as he tried to sign the player when he was the head coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps. “Sure, they have some similarities, but Caicedo is more of a no.8 or no. 6. Cifuentes is a bit more forward-thinking and is best suited as a no.8 or even as a no.10. I would describe him almost as a half-eight.” 

At LAFC, Cifuentes is often used in multiple roles, including the no.10 role when the club plays in a 4-2-3-1 formation. “A typical two-way box-to-box midfielder has a good shot, is skillful, and very dynamic,” Dos Santos said. 

Duda echoes that sentiment. “Cifuentes is a no.8, who is physical and strong in defense with a tendency to get involved in the attack,” Duda said. “There is a good reason he wears the no.11, and footballing-wise, he models himself after Paul Pogba.” Like Pogba, Cifuentes is a box-to-box midfielder. A player, who Dos Santos stresses, has volume to his game that cannot be measured in raw stats. “What I mean by that is that Cifu has the ability to grow into a game,” Dos Santos said. “He might start a match slowly but then becomes very impactful from the 70-minute mark onwards.” 

What is next for José Cifuentes? – Premier League dream move appears close

Although Cifuentes has scored just 13 goals and 15 assists in 95 games for LAFC, Dos Santos stresses the midfielder’s importance in the attack. “He shifts the game very well, helps the team in ways that aren’t always obvious when you look at naked stats,” Dos Santos said. A glimpse at Wyscout underlines that statement by Dos Santos. Cifuentes was seventh in the MLS with three third assists and 21st with 21 key passes, 22nd with 34 smart passes, and 23rd with 47 deep completions. In other words, Cifuentes does the little things right and contributes significantly to the team in ways that are not always obvious. 

That is not to say that Cifuentes could not improve his naked stats. “You should see what he does in training,” Dos Santos said. “We see his goalscoring ability there, and I think he could also show it more often in games.” What, then, is his ceiling? Using the stats provider Goalimpact (click here for more), Cifuentes’ impact is 112.7, with a potential peak impact of 120.9. In comparison, the best players in the World have a Goalimpact higher than 170. The top 5 League Players have a Goalimpact of approximately 150. There is still room to grow for LAFC’s midfielder, but the Goalimpact graph also highlights that the Ecuadorian is on the up. 

Duda does not doubt that Cifuentes will work hard to make the next step. “Cifuentes does everything to fulfill his dreams,” Duda said. That dream is to ultimately play in the Premier League. Leeds United, Newcastle United, and Brighton all have shown interest. “The Seagulls seem a logical choice as they have a strong connection to Ecuador already,” Duda said. But no matter where Cifuentes ends up, the club will get a player with obvious potential. 

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