Having spent the last two seasons out on loan Victor Moses looked an absolute shoo-in for the Stamford Bridge exit doors but Jose Mourinho has told reporters that the 24-year-old will get his chance at Chelsea this season.
One of the main reasons why the manager would be keen to keep the Nigerian international is because of his home-grown status, having spent his entire career in England.
The decision has raised a few eyebrows and has drawn some criticism, and even mockery, from some fans who are surprised he’s still on the club’s books. But is it fair to view Moses, the Blues’ forgotten man, in this way?
Although it is true that his last two loan spells at Liverpool and Stoke City haven’t been anything to write home about, his debut season at Chelsea was solid and Moses performed well when surrounded by a better class of player. Moses netted 10 times in 43 games and proved a useful squad member when Chelsea were faced by an extraordinarily congested fixture list over the 2012-13 season.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek will also have a big role to play
Last season Chelsea had one of the tightest knit squads in the league and used a lot less players than most which paid dividends as they marched towards title victory but proved troublesome when attempting to fight on multiple fronts, so the likes of Moses, Bertrand Traore and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be crucial for giving some of the senior members of the squad valuable resting time as well as developing their own game.
As previously mentioned the main reason for retaining Moses is down to his home-grown status but Mourinho told the Evening Standard that he has had an ‘evolution’ over the past couple of years and along with his Premier League experience, the Portuguese manager believes his strength, pace and aggression are well suited for a player he hopes to fit into a championship winning squad.
Moses could once again prove himself a useful squad player to have at Chelsea as he has in the past and it’s better to give him and Traore the chance to challenge in the attacking positions than spend fortunes on unreliable talent, like Chelsea did with Mohamed Salah and Juan Cuadrado, who is yet to make his mark despite a substantial fee.