When Brendan Rodgers spoke of getting in a pacey left attacker to allow Coutinho to play centrally, names such as Mata, Turan, Willian and Yarmolenko were often thrown around and so it’s probably understandable why some Liverpool fans are slightly disheartened over the loan move for Chelsea’s Victor Moses. Fans know that there is money in the coffers of FSG for a ‘marquee’ signing as seen with the Mkhitaryan, Costa and Willian sagas, but that is why Moses on a season-long loan can be a huge benefit for Brendan Rodger’s side this season.
Born in Nigeria, Victor Moses moved to England at the age of 11 after the horrible tragedy of his parent’s death. He quickly caught the eye of the Crystal Palace scouts whilst playing for his local Sunday league side, and his life was immediately turned around. Awarded a permit which enabled him to live in England, he was the star pupil in the Palace academy in his formative years, scoring over 50 goals in just his first season at the club, whilst winning many honours as a teenager such as the youth cup with his school.
Guided by Neil Warnock, he made his debut for the first team at just 17 years of age against Cardiff and it wasn’t long before he forced himself into the starting XI, with standout performances in many games, in particular against West Brom where he scored his first goal. It would be the next season where Moses really excelled in the squad, playing in 27 league games scoring 3 goals and contributing to many assists efforts as Palace finished in 15th. He had signed a 5 year contract in the summer but was constantly linked to the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United. However, Palace were in dire financial trouble and in January 2010, Roberto Martinez’s Wigan Athletic pounced first, snapping him up for a reported £2.5m.
It took a while initially for Moses to kick-start his Wigan career in his first season, managing to score only 2 goals all season, his first of those being a Premier League goal in May 2010. Injuries took its toll on Moses and he found it difficult to break into the squad as Wigan flirted with relegation (they always seemed to do that!) but inspired performances towards the end of the season against the ‘big boys’ Arsenal and United helped Wigan defy the odds to stay up. Moses had took his chance by the end of the season, impressing in the big games and ending the season with 6 goals, with Charles N’Zogbia’s move to Aston Villa helping to free up some spaces in the squad.
After the impressive season he had, Chelsea finally offered him the chance at a big team last season, and he signed on the last week of the window after Wigan turned down 4 bids from the club before. In ironic fashion he had lined up for Wigan against Chelsea! It wasn’t long before he was scoring for his new club, getting off the mark against Wolves before finishing in the final few moments against Shakhtar Donetsk to help Chelsea gain a vital win. He had played very little under manager Roberto Di Matteo but it was ex-Liverpool gaffer Rafa Benitez and his rotation system who helped Moses flourish at Chelsea; he became a vital cog in the cup and European games for the London club, arguably being their best player in their Europa League run with stand out performances against FC Basel and Rubin Kazan, where his goals helped Chelsea reach the final. It would be fair to say Moses had added goals to his game last season, scoring 10 in all competitions at club level. It was also the year where he made his mark at international level, taking part in the African Cup of Nations with his home country Nigeria, as the Super Eagles managed to win for the 3rd time.
So what can Moses bring to Liverpool? A versatile winger who can play on both flanks, his main assets are his speed and strength, and these were often used as an outlet for Chelsea as he loved to take the ball wide and take on defenders, whereas Eden Hazard would come inside. A confident dribbler, Moses managed to create 22 chances with a dribbling success record of 38%. However, passing ability has been identified as one of Moses’ weaker attributes as he tends not to play risky passes and will often take on the man instead of laying it off. Moses also prefers not to play deep crosses and will often be found getting to the byline before delivering so he can quickly become predictable to opposition fullbacks. What I think Rodgers sees in Moses is a player who is unafraid to take on the defender unlike Stewart Downing and a vital impact player who can help pad out the squad. With signings such as Coutinho and Sturridge, Liverpool are aiming for young players with undoubted potential and assets which are undervalued at their current clubs and while Moses isn’t undervalued, his chances will be further limited under Mourinho. With their new players such as Schurrle, as well as the returning De Bruyne, a loan with a view to buy may be exactly what the player and Liverpool need.
