One of the strangest Chelsea careers coming to an end

There is a sad, alternate reality where Chelsea don’t win the Champions League in 2012. In that reality, Eden Hazard never signs and the same is likely true for several others. The Blues hadn’t been planning for a Champions League win, however, and they had several signings set up. Marco Marin is perhaps the most famous, but Victor Moses also arrived that summer in a deal that was sure to happen with or without Champions League.

Initially, Moses seemed a good fit for Chelsea. He wasn’t a super star, but he could do good work when called upon. Not every manager agreed with that assessment as he was sent away on loan only to return as a first teamer later on. That proved short lived, however, as he returned to the wilderness and now, after a Chelsea career as long as Cesar Azpilicueta’s, Moses’ time is ending for Chelsea.

Chelsea’s Victor Moses has had a good season at Spartak Moscow, leading to his clause being trigged to make the deal permanent. It will cap the end of a very strange time for him in Blue.

Moses spent six years on loan while under contract at Chelsea at as many clubs. Jose Mourinho marked the first time away, seeing loans at Liverpool, Stoke City, and West Ham United because the Portuguese manager simply did not see a use for Moses. Fenerbahce, Inter Milan, and Spartak Moscow would be his second stint away as Maurizio Sarri and Frank Lampard agreed with Mourinho’s assessment.

That leaves just three seasons where Moses was actually playing for Chelsea. Roberto Di Matteo was manager when he signed but Moses really came to life under Rafa Benitez. Antonio Conte also saw something in the winger, converting him to a wingback for the 2016/2017 title win and keeping him around in year two. Moses would later rejoin Conte at Inter Milan for a season on loan.

It’s not quite clear what Moses lacked to make it at Chelsea. The assumption for Mourinho was that Moses didn’t work hard enough off the ball, which is strange to say given Conte got so much out of him just a few years later. As for Sarri and Lampard, perhaps there was an assumption that he was not good enough on the ball or that he would be blocking a spot for other players. It is truly odd how Moses’ perceptions at Chelsea changed completely with every new manager.

That’s not to say he was always electric on loan either. Some of his loans did come off quite well, but none indicated that he was at the level of a Premier League winning starter as Conte found him. There just always seemed to be better options available at Chelsea. Of course, very few of those options actually outlasted Moses at Chelsea. He would survive at Chelsea long after Andre Schurrle, Juan Cuadrado, Mohamed Salah, Willian, and Pedro did.

Moses will be transferred to Moscow after a solid season with them. He’ll have won the Premier League, FA Cup, and Europa League while at Chelsea. He was never quite able to land yet still found a way to make an impact for at least three of his nine years. That strange career in Blue ends soon.