Moses took paycut to fulfill Spartak Moscow Champions League ambitions this season, and beyond

Veteran Chelsea Loan Warrior Victor Moses agreed to join Spartak Moscow last week for his latest assignment, and he already made his debut this weekend as an early second half substitute. At the time, Spartak were losing 1-0. They would score three times in the next twenty minutes, and go on to win 3-2 to maintain their early-season charge to the top of the Premier Liga table, where they remain second only on goal difference behind powerhouse Zenit St Petersburg.

So far so good then for their ambitious plan to return to the glory days of the 1990s, when they were the dominant force in Russian football (9 titles in 10 years from 1992 to 2001) and were a factor in European competitions as well (reaching the semifinals of the European Cup in 1991 and the quarterfinals of its successor, the Champions League in 1996).

Such ambitions don’t come for free however. Fortunately, as confirmed by Spartak director Shamil Gazizov, Moses agreed to take a small paycut in order to join, and the move itself could be made permanent for a reported fee of just €10m should they qualify for the Champions League next season.

“We can buy [...] if he plays a certain number of matches. If we get into the Champions League with him, I think there will be no questions.”

“[He] wants to play for Spartak. This is the most important point. And everything else is secondary. He did not come here to earn money. Yes [he agreed to decrease his salary] though not significantly.”

-Shamil Gazizov; source: Sport-Express via Google Translate

After eight years on Chelsea’s books, less than half of which were actually spent at Stamford Bridge, Moses could yet find himself a stable situation, even as he enters his 30s.

Good luck to him and the team!