According to the Evening Standard, Crystal Palace are not only leading the chase for Chelsea winger/wing-back Victor Moses, but are “expecting” and “confident” of signing him on a permanent transfer in next month’s winter transfer window.
Moses has barely featured under Maurizio Sarri after playing a key role under Antonio Conte as a converted wing-back. Previously, Moses was a backup winger who spent more time out on loan (three seasons altogether) than at Chelsea proper (just one season, way back in 2012-13). Unlike Conte’s three-man defenses, Sarri’s 4-3-3 had no room for Moses’s talents at either wing-back nor at winger, so that writing’s been on the wall for some time.
Crystal Palace expect to sign Victor Moses from Chelsea in January
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) December 20, 2018
✍ @sjstandardsport https://t.co/xZcR7i948l
Moses was part of Palace’s youth setup from 2001 to 2007, and took his first steps as a professional at Selhurst Park. He left the club three years after his professional debut in 2010, joining Wigan Athletic in a £2.5 million deal, the moved to Chelsea two years later for at least three times as much.
Palace do have competition from Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United, but Moses apparently would prefer a return to Crystal Palace. It’s unclear how big of a transfer fee Chelsea would ask for the 28-year-old retired Nigerian international, who has 2.5 years still left on his contract, but given the circumstances, we’re unlikely to play hardball over a player so obviously not needed (certainly at the moment).