Victor Moses penned his third loan deal in two years yesterday afternoon, committing to a season on the books at West Ham. The tricky winger signed a new four-year contract with parent club Chelsea this summer before making his way to Upton Park as Slaven Bilic looks to boost his options out wide.
Discussing his move with the Hammers official website, the 24-year-old is determined to make his mark in the final third:
“I am very pleased to have joined West Ham. They are a great Club and the atmosphere here is amazing with the fans. I want to add my quality to what West Ham already have and hopefully we can do even better than last season. I am very pleased to work under the new manager. There is a huge amount of talent with Alex Song and Nikica Jelavic joining the Club and I want to help the Club finish as high up in the table as possible. Andy Carroll is a great striker and has a lot of experience in the Premier League. All the forwards have got a lot of experience and I want to help them score more goals.”
THE HISTORY
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Moses moved to England as an asylum seeker in 2001. He soon joined a local side and, after being scouted by Crystal Palace, signed up at the Eagles’ youth academy in the same year.
Moses’ first team debut came at the tender age of 16 during a Championship clash with Cardiff in November 2007. By March of that season, the Nigerian had cemented a starting role in the first team, picking up three goals, as well as three assists, in nine starts and helped his side into a play-off place. He was a mainstay in the first XI over the following two years but his form suffered as Palace slumped down the table and encountered financial problems. Moses ultimately produced 11 goals and six assists in 69 appearances across all competitions for the Selhurst Park outfit.
As the Eagles plummeted into administration in January 2010 Moses completed a permanent switch to Premier League outfit Wigan Athletic. He was used as an impact substitute during the back end of that season but managed three assists from the bench as well as picking up a goal in his first start for the club. An injury riddled 2010-11 campaign resulted in a struggle for minutes but after the departure of Charles N’Zogbia in the summer of 2011 a starting berth opened up. The-then 21-year-old notched six goals and six assists, becoming one of the Premier League’s hottest talents.
Chelsea picked up on his potential and after an incredible five bids in August 2012, signed him for £8.05 million. Moses has been a fringe player since his move to Stamford Bridge and as a result has been sent out on a couple of loan spells. A season at Liverpool was disappointing as the emergence of Raheem Sterling kept him out of the side but the winger enjoyed a return to form during last term’s time at Stoke City. His three goals won seven points for the Potters and he picked up a series of four assists in consecutive matches during September and October before injury put paid to his season.
It looked as if Moses was set to compete for a space in the Chelsea first team after appearing in all four pre-season matches, scoring against PSG and coming on in search of a winner during the Community Shield. However, the forward will now spend his third consecutive season out on loan.
On the international scene, Moses fired 11 goals in 28 appearances for England at youth level before choosing to represent Nigeria’s senior side. He has since netted seven times in 24 appearances for the Super Eagles.
THE PROSPECTS
Moses’ arrival, along with the acquisition of Michail Antonio, significantly strengthens Bilic’s options on the flanks. The Hammers boss rolled out a midfield diamond in the first three Gameweeks, with Dimitri Payet stationed behind a front two, but, with the full-backs struggling to cope, switched to a 4-1-4-1 set-up away to Liverpool, with Payet and Manuel Lanzini stationed on the left and right respectively.
The Nigerian international was used exclusively on the left at the Britannia last season, though, like Antonio, is versatile enough to play on either flank. Crucially, Bilic’s new arrivals would allow Payet to move back into a central position behind a lone striker, with the Hammers possibly shifting to a 4-2-3-1 set-up as a result. This would see Pedro Obiang, Cheikhou Kouyate, Mark Noble and Alex Song (when fit) compete for the roles in the double-pivot and lessen the likelihood of further starts for young Reece Oxford.
Coming in at 5.3 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Moses is the same price as Lanzini and a little less expensive than Antonio (6.0.), with Payet the costliest at 7.6. There’s also Kouyate to consider amongst the Hammers midfield, though his prospects could well be dependant on Bilic’s chosen formation. The 5.6-priced Senegal international racked up two goals and an assist in the first three but a move to 4-2-3-1 would restrict his forward forays, given he’s likely to be stationed in the double-pivot in front of the back-four.
Nonetheless, if Moses carries his form from the 2014-15 campaign onwards and nails down a starting berth, he could soon make his way onto Fantasy managers’ radars. His minutes per attempt (36.5) and key pass (46.8) were certainly impressive, though as we’ve seen in the past, the Nigerian still needs to work on his finishing – only 29.3% of his attempts were accurate last term, with just 7.3% finding the net.
Encouragingly, Bilic’s side face a series of favourable fixtures after the international break. A visit to the Etihad is sandwiched between home fixtures with Newcastle and Norwich as well trips to Sunderland and Palace before Gameweek 10. Given that only Man City have scored most goals than West Ham (ten to nine) in the first four Gameweeks, many will be monitoring Bilic’s team sheets as we look to find a cut-price route into the Hammers’ flourishing attack.
