Edwards keen to tap into Moses’ winning mentality as new signing is available to face Millwall.
Town snap up proven winner on a free transfer
Luton boss Rob Edwards is eager to tap into new signing Victor Moses’ undoubted winning mentality as he confirmed the new addition will be involved in the Hatters squad to face Millwall this afternoon.
The 33-year-old was a surprise addition to the Town ranks this week, the former Wigan Athletic, Chelsea and Liverpool winger putting pen to paper having been a free agent since leaving Russian Premier League side Spartak Moscow in the summer. During his 17-year career, Moses has won trophies consistently for both club and country, with one Premier League title under his belt while at Stamford Bridge, where he also lifted the FA Cup, along with the Europa League twice.
He was then part of the Spartak side that were crowned Russia Cup champions in 2022 and is also an Africa Cup of Nations winner with Nigeria back in 2013 as well. With Luton struggling for victories since the turn of the calendar year, able to celebrate just four triumphs in all competitions, discussing the addition of such a proven winner to the squad, Edwards, speaking yesterday, said: “We spoke to him for a number of weeks before he came in, he had some meetings with us and we really liked him.
“We just kept that channel open, he came and trained with us last week, integrated well into the group and what he will bring is a wealth of experience from winning cultures. He’s won a lot of trophies and been involved in winning teams, he knows what it takes and we can use that. He’s a versatile player, can play either side, different positions and a really good player.
“We won’t expect too much too soon, but he’s fit, he’s available. We want to be able to integrate and use him in the right way so he stays fit for the whole season ahead, but a brilliant person, very good player, so in the end it was a no-brainer for us. He’ll be involved in the squad, he’s trained fully the last couple of weeks, so we can integrate him as we see fit. He’ll be part of the squad tomorrow.”
Moses joined in a similar fashion to his former Chelsea team-mate midfielder Ross Barkley last summer, with the club able to keep the move under wraps until the moment it was announced. Edwards admitted he hadn’t gone to the England star, who thrilled Kenilworth Road before moving to Aston Villa recently, to find out about his new addition, and didn’t want to put any pressure on Moses to replicate the kind of success that the former Everton starlet had in Bedfordshire, continuing: “No (he didn’t speak to Barkley), but we always try and do our due diligence on people.
“We always ask people for a bit of a character reference and everything came out really positive on Victor but as soon as you speak to him you know that as well. He’s a very down to earth, quiet, humble guy and someone who fits seamlessly into the group. He’s always got a smile on his face, but we spoke to a few people on him and everything came back really, really positive.
“They’re different players, different positions. Ross had a massive impact and did great, Victor’s his own man and we’ll see what impact he makes, but we signed him for a reason and we hope he can do that. Time will tell on that, different people, but I’ll reiterate, really pleased to get him in the building. He’s a really good guy, very humble and he’s looking forward to the challenge as well.”
Moses is no stranger to taking the plunge with a new experience either as having played in Russia for the last three years, he also went to Turkey to feature for Fenerbahce earlier in his career, plus enjoying a six month stint in Italy when joining Inter Milan back in 2020. Having also turned out for West Ham, Stoke and Crystal Palace, his appetite to sign up for the Hatters was something that Edwards was thrilled to see.
He said: “What was really refreshing was that he really wanted to come to us. He made that clear from day one when we spoke, and I like that as well, someone who wants to play for the football club. He’s taken risks throughout his career and jumped at opportunities when they’ve come up and backed himself.”
