Palace forced to omit Moses
Crystal Palace's administrator has forbidden Neil Warnock from picking in-demand starlet Victor Moses for the Eagles' Championship clash against Newcastle United at St James' Park on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old forward has been linked with a move to a host of high-profile clubs during the January transfer window following an impressive first half to the 2009/10 campaign, with Nottingham Forest, West Bromwich Albion, Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Barcelona all mooted as possible destinations for the talented teenager.
Palace's financial plight led to them entering administration on Tuesday evening, with the Football League later confirming that the Selhurst Park side would be deducted 10 points as a result, seeing them drop from ninth position - four points off the play-offs - to 20th, three above the relegation-zone.
And the club have since been dealt a further blow following the news that the Eagles' administrator has insisted that Moses cannot partake in the league clash against the table-topping Magpies.
The decision is thought to have been made to ensure that Moses does not sustain a serious injury during the encounter that could prevent Palace from receiving a sizeable fee for his services.
"If you’re pulled out of a game it's for a reason. They are going to be selling him," Moses' agent Tony Finnigan told Sky Sports News.
“The administrator's pulled the most sellable asset from the club to protect him.
“He was prepared to play and do his bit for the team.
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“A lot of scouts were at Wolves on Saturday and it has been been widely reported that Nottingham Forest, West Brom and some Premier League clubs had an interest but that’s not the same as making an offer.
“I don’t know why he wasn’t sold before, but I am not the chairman or manager.
“I can’t say how much he will go for, that is the administrator’s job to get in as much cash as possible.
“I want my player to go to the right football club. There is a human being who has the right to choose where he plays his football. That is what my job is. It won’t be just cash that makes us move."
Warnock revealed that he had been left bemused by the timing of the decision.
"The timing just astonishes me. There's a week to go in the transfer window and we are about to sell Moses for millions," he told the Independent.
"I'm devastated, shocked and hugely disappointed.
"No doubt we're going to lose players in the next few days because that's what the administrator does," he told the BBC.
"You don't mind the vultures circling and trying to get players for nothing, you can't blame them. There's five or six of my players you could get very reasonably now."
Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.