Crystal Palace have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Chelsea’s Victor Moses in the new year, as he continues to struggle for minutes at Stamford Bridge.
The Nigerian defender has been restricted to just five first-team appearances for the Blues this season, as club boss Maurizio Sarri often opts for a flat-back four which negates the need for attack-minded wing-backs.
Chelsea are currently sitting in fourth place in the Premier League and although the title looks beyond them this season, they still harbour ambitions of winning the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Europa League.
At the moment it appears that Moses is surplus to requirements and according to the Evening Standard, he looks set to join Crystal Palace during the January transfer window.
ES reports that the Eagles are ‘confident’ of landing the 28-year-old and believe that he favours a move to Selhurst Park over Wolves and West Ham, who have also expressed an interest.
Moses would likely have been considering his future at the Bridge from as early as the start of November when Sarri publicly stated that he and Danny Drinkwater would need to adapt their playing style to fit into his system.
According to BBC Sport, when asked if the pair still had a future at Chelsea, Sarri said: “I don’t know.”
He then added: “They have to improve, but the characteristics are a little bit different.”
Cesar Azpilequatea has been a pillar of consistency for the Blues during the first half of the season at right-back and for as long as Sarri remains at the helm, a player like Moses is unlikely to feature regularly ahead of him.
That being said, having risen through the ranks at youth level at Crystal Palace before spending three years there as a senior player between 2007 and 2010, a move back to familiar surroundings could be exactly what Moses needs to reignite his flailing career.
Chelsea are in the midst of a new era under Sarri and sometimes certain players will not fit in with a new manager’s philosophy, but both parties should be able to come to an arrangement which secures an amicable parting of ways during the winter window.
