Importance of Moses

​​​​​​​Victor Moses was a Premier League nomad who hadn’t played for Chelsea in three years. Now he’s a key player attracting interest from Barcelona. Ahead of Saturday’s clash with Manchester City, Nick Wright examines his extraordinary transformation under Antonio Conte…

There were plenty of questions for Antonio Conte when he arrived at Chelsea. Was there a place in his plans for John Terry? Could he revive Eden Hazard? And what of the disillusioned Diego Costa? The new head coach had big issues to address, but there was little interest in what might be next for Victor Moses.

The Nigeria international had become a forgotten man at Chelsea since his £9m arrival from Wigan in 2012. His first season at Stamford Bridge yielded 10 goals in 43 appearances, but Jose Mourinho took a different view to his predecessors Roberto Di Matteo and Rafael Benitez. For Moses, his appointment changed everything.

The next three years were spent on loan at Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham. It was an unsettling period by anyone’s standards, and there was little evidence in his most recent spell away from Stamford Bridge to suggest his fortunes were about to change. In fact, the Hammers had just passed up the opportunity to make his move permanent.

It seemed his Chelsea career was heading in the same direction, but Conte decided otherwise. Moses impressed in pre-season and made his first competitive appearance for the club since May 2013 when he came off the bench against West Ham in August. In the last few months, the winger has been reinvented as a wing-back on the right of Conte’s 3-4-3 formation.

It has been a triumph. Moses has been practically ever-present in the seven-game winning streak which has …

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