Chelsea Reportedly Fume at Liverpool over Victor Moses, Won't Loan Ryan Bertrand
Brendan Rodgers' profitable relationship with Chelsea has reportedly splintered in light of the Liverpool boss keeping Victor Moses on the bench for the majority of this season.
The on-loan winger, who joined the Reds on a season-long deal from Stamford Bridge, has failed to live up to expectations since heading to Merseyside. Rodgers is said to be interested in luring Ryan Bertrand on a similar deal, but as reported by ESPN, his treatment of Moses may have scuppered that:
"Liverpool could miss out on loaning Chelsea defender Ryan Bertrand in January due to the breakdown of Victor Moses' time at Anfield.
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Manager Brendan Rodgers fought off several Premier League clubs to secure Moses for the season, but the attacker has only started six Premier League games so far.
Matt Law of The Telegraph suggests Bertrand could find first-team football at one of the top division's lower clubs, perhaps a more profitable move than fighting for his place in Rodgers' ever-rotating lineup:
"Chelsea believe there are better options than moving to Anfield available to the 24-year-old.
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Fulham are also interested in signing Bertrand, who could also be used as part of a big-money Chelsea bid for Southampton’s Luke Shaw.
Rodgers finds himself in a difficult situation if the reports prove to be true. Moses was afforded plenty of playing time earlier in the season, but he failed to establish himself in a squad that is crammed with exciting talents of a similar style.
Even with Daniel Sturridge's long injury layoff, Rodgers has deemed it necessary to keep Moses on the bench for the most part.
The likes of Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling are favoured above the former Wigan star, who has made six starts and seven substitute appearances in this year's Premier League, per WhoScored.com.
It is difficult to see where Moses would also fit in at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho's squad packs arguably the greatest array of creative talent in the division before loanees such as Moses, Marko Marin and Lucas Piazon are taken into consideration.
Bertrand faces a similar struggle in west London and has seen his playing time reduced to just one Premier League appearance this campaign. Mourinho has called upon Cesar Azpilicueta—who isn't a natural left-back—since dropping Ashley Cole.
At 24 years old, Bertrand certainly needs to begin playing regular football. He has fallen well behind the likes of Cole, Leighton Baines, Luke Shaw and Kieran Gibbs in the running for an England place and has little hope of going to this year's World Cup.
As highlighted in Law's report and by David Kidd of Mirror Football, Bertrand could be used in a swap deal for Shaw, who has admitted his love for Chelsea on multiple occasions across the past year, as reported by Richard Sharpe of the Daily Mail Online.
While Moses doesn't have any such international problems, having chosen to play for Nigeria instead of the Three Lions, both players need a consistent run of games to highlight why the Premier League's elite clubs acquired their services in the first place.
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