Over the Premier League’s near thirty-year history, it’s certainly seen its fair share of brilliant Nigerian players. From the technical marvels of Jay Jay Okocha to the poaching ability and skill of Arsenal’s Nwankwo Kanu, the division hasn’t been short of great soccer players. In more recent years, players like Victor Moses have looked to join the fold of the Premier League’s Nigerian greats and he may just be well on his way to doing so.
Of course, the Nigerian is best-known for his time at Chelsea, his club since 2012, although it would be easy to forget that he is actually still a Chelsea player, given his consistent loan moves away to the likes of Inter Milan and, most recently, Spartak Moscow in Russia. Even without one of their longest-serving players, Chelsea do look to have performed well enough in this year’s Premier League to qualify for some semblance of European soccer for the year, especially given the English Premier League odds. These have Chelsea as one of the frontrunners for European qualification or a Top 6 finish with odds of 1/5 putting them as an odds-on favorite. What’s more, to gain entry in the Champions League, the Blues are also well-placed with odds of 53/50 putting them firmly in the picture for another year in Europe’s premier club competition.
Source: Pixabay
Moses didn’t actually start his tenure in England’s top flight with Chelsea. Instead, he began by plying his trade for a Crystal Palace side then playing in the Championship, who were his local team at the time. Having spent three years at the Eagles and in his final year going on a run of scoring six goals in eight games for Palace, he left to Wigan on a £2.5 million contract which at the time Palace considered a lifeline for their finances. It was from Wigan Athletic, where he played alongside teammates such as Manchester United loanee Tom Cleverley and the veteran goalkeeper Ali-Al Habsi, that Moses left for a whopping £9 million fee.
Following a two-year spell at Wigan in which Moses made seventy-four appearances, Victor Moses eventually made the big move to Chelsea. The Blues had tried to sign Moses from Wigan on four separate occasions, although it would be on the fifth occasion where they would match the asking price set by the Latics. Despite Chelsea’s insistence to get their man, Moses played one full season for the Blues before he would be shipped out consecutive loans to other Premier League sides. First came Liverpool, then Stoke City and finally West Ham United. West Ham had the option to make Moses’ move permanent on that loan in 2016, but they rejected the offer.
Source: Pixabay
At the end of the 2015/16 season, Chelsea named Antonio Conte as manager, whose adoption of the 3-4-3 season gave Victor Moses a new lease of life in playing as a right-wingback as a regular starter for the best part of two full seasons, although during this time, he also became the fifth player to be sent off during an FA Cup Final. Following this run in the team and Conte’s departure, things reverted to normal for Moses as he was once again shipped out again on loan, although to clubs abroad, with Fenerbahce, Inter Milan, and Spartak Moscow.
Given how long that Victor Moses has been playing soccer for Chelsea, it would be plausible to class him as one of the most legendary Nigerians to play in the Premier League, although it’s fair to say that Chelsea haven’t necessarily used him in the best way they could.
and then