MOSES: THE FIRST INTERVIEW

Victor Moses completed his move on Friday evening, was welcomed by the Stamford Bridge crowd on Saturday and trained with his new team-mates on Monday morning.
The next stop for the 21-year-old was to sit down with the official Chelsea website…

Your possible transfer to Chelsea was in the news throughout the summer. It must be good to have your future settled now.
When I first heard that Chelsea had come in for me I was surprised, but I had a call from my agent saying they were really interested in me and what did I think. I said they are the European champions and anyone would like to play there and now that everything is sorted, I am delighted to be here.

I am happy to come back to London as I grew up here and it is a great honour to play for the club that won the Champions League.
You've decided to join a squad with a lot of competition for the attacking places in the side.
There are a lot of world-class players here and I am here to do my best for the team and to help them win more trophies. The club has done well for the past few years, they have achieved a lot, and for me to be able to play with these world-class players, I am delighted to be here.

How did the opening day fixture go for you when Chelsea played up at Wigan?
I thought I did alright. It took me a while to get into the game but in the second half we came at Chelsea - but that is in the past now. I was a Wigan player then and I am a Chelsea player now.

You managed to go past the Chelsea full-backs during the match.
We all know Ashley Cole is one of the best left-backs in the word and he is a consistent player, so if I go past him I am happy because he is a great player.
You arrive with a reputation for being versatile. Please give a short history of the positions you have played.
Growing up I used to play centre-back in a Sunday league team but I had the feeling I could play further forward. When I was scouted by Crystal Palace I started playing in centre-midfield. Then I ended up playing as a striker, left wing, on the right - everywhere really. I went to Wigan to play left wing mainly but then the manager saw the way I was playing and he mostly used me on the right. Last season I played more on the right but sometimes on the left.

I can also play up front or behind the striker, I can play anywhere up front. I'm comfortable wherever the manager wants to play me.



Roberto Di Matteo has highlighted your dribbling ability.
That is one of my strengths, I love getting the ball and going past defenders. You don't want defenders tackling you all the time when you get the ball, you need to make them work hard, and that is what I love doing.

When you were at Whitgift School in Croydon, you were taught football by Colin Pates (pictued below), a popular captain of Chelsea in the 1980s. How was that experience?
He is a great man. He always used to talk to me and tell me about when he used to play and how I needed to be more professional about my football. He is a person you can call on and he will advise you in the right way. When we played with the school team he used to teach us all about movement and finishing and he was great to work with. We won a national school tournament when he was our manager.


Growing up around in the Norwood area of south London, the Crystal Palace academy must have been a natural place for you to develop.
It was easy for me after training to go home. It was nice playing for Palace. There were a lot of Chelsea fans around there and Palace were playing in the Championship so all I used to hear when I was little was Chelsea, Chelsea! I didn't know then that one day I would be playing for them.
You moved to Wigan midway through the 2009/10 season.
When the season first started we were doing pretty well, fighting for a play-off spot for the Championship. Then we heard the club was going into administration, that is when Wigan came in and Palace hadn't a choice but to sell me.

Do you know anyone at Chelsea already?
I know quite a few. I used to play with Ryan Bertrand and Daniel Sturridge for England Under 19s, Under 20s, Under 21s. I know Ashley Cole and Michael Essien and Mikel I know from playing for Nigeria. It is good to see everyone here and it is a lot easier for me.

For Nigeria I have games coming up against Liberia and I am looking forward to them. They are home and away and whoever wins will qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
Do you have a message for the Chelsea fans?
I just want to say to the fans to sit tight, there is more to come from Victor Moses and I hope to do my best for the club and that there are more trophies to come in the future.

There will be more from Victor Moses in Chelsea TV's 'Weekend Review' tonight at 6.30pm and 10pm.