• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Victor Moses: A great season with new bumper deal

victor-moses

Who says hard work is not profitable; a tale of Nigerian international, Victor Moses, who passed through rigorous and rough times in his playing career path to becoming a regular starter at Chelsea, credits to Italian tactician Antonio Conte who unlocked his potentials at Stamford Bridge.

Moses recently signed a new deal worth around £100,000-per-week to keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2021. 2016/2017 season is his breakthrough year at Chelsea, despite signing for the club back in August 2012, with the highlight being his match-winning goal against Tottenham in November.

The Nigeria international has reinvented himself as a wing-back and become a key starter at Chelsea since head coach Antonio Conte’s decision to switch to a 3-4-3 formation in late September 2016, contributing three goals and two assists in 25 Premier League appearances.

After signing the new deal, Moses told Chelsea’s official website: “I feel very excited. I’m delighted to be here for another few years now and to sign a new deal. Now it’s time to concentrate on the team and keep working hard to make sure we win games and try to win the Premier League this season.

“We’re having a great season, I’m enjoying my football and we have a good manager here that has given every single one of us confidence. I just want to keep on enjoying it and working hard for the team.”

Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo added: “We are extremely pleased Victor has chosen to extend his contract with us. He is enjoying an excellent season and, under Antonio’s leadership, has proved to be an important member of the squad.

“This new contract is testament to Victor’s hard work and dedication to succeed at Chelsea and we believe he will be a big part of our future success.”

Since making Conte’s team, Moses has produced incredible consistency in his performances, starting every Premier League game since October 1, 2016 when he was named in the line-up away at Hull City.

It was in that fixture that Conte switched to a 3-4-3 formation for the first time and Moses, deployed in an unfamiliar right wing-back role, impressed in a 2-0 victory. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength, growing in stature with every game and thriving under Conte’s guidance.

The combination of his natural attacking instincts, and ability to defend intelligently when the opposition are in possession, ensure Moses is ideally suited to the way in which Conte wants his team to play. He has become a valuable member of the side as well as a popular figure among supporters, scoring four goals so far this season, including a winner at home to Tottenham in November.

Moses joined Chelsea from Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2012 and enjoyed a promising debut season under Roberto Di Matteo and interim successor Rafa Benitez, making 44 appearances in all competitions and scoring 10 goals.

Victor Moses

But having fallen out of favour under Jose Mourinho, Moses spent the next three seasons out on loan at Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham United before being brought back into the first-team fold by Conte last summer.

After spending time out on loan, he caught Conte’s eye during pre-season due to his technique, physical strength and high energy levels, the Italian made the decision to keep him at Stamford Bridge for the 2016/17 campaign.

In total, Moses has made 72 appearances for the Blues, 28 coming so far this season, scoring 14 goals.

It’s unimaginable to see how Chelsea could become reliant on Moses and hard to envisage how the 3-4-3 formation would efficiently operate without him.

Chelsea have been revitalised, and it is unquestionable that Moses has contributed greatly to this dramatic change of fortune.

Again, Moses displayed his excellent club form when Nigeria trashed Algeria 3-1 in the World Cup qualification group in Uyo.

Moses was the architect of the win for Nigeria in the 25 minutes, when he burst into the area and saw a weak attempt to clear fall back into his path for him to finish.

As Nigeria continues its quest for a place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, there is no doubt that Moses consistent fine form will boost Nigeria chances in qualifying for the tournament.

Although, it’s still early days, but Moses’s remarkable tale is far from over, yet the signs of his life as a wingback have been exceedingly remarkable.

 

Anthony Nlebem

Twitter: @AnthonyNlebem

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AnthonyNlebem