Smart point

Chelsea are prepared to sell former Nigeria international Victor Moses in the January transfer window, according to reports.

The Sun is reporting that Crystal Palace are interested in signing Moses with the Blues asking for £12 million.

Moses has seen his first team opportunities limited since the arrival of manager Sarri and has not been named in The Blues match day squad in their last nine matches in the Premier League.

The 27-year-old came back to Chelsea in the summer of 2016 after three consecutive loan spells at Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham.

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Under Antonio Conte, the winger played 78 matches across all competitions in two seasons and helped the club win the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup.

Moses was on the books of Palace for nine years before they were forced to sell him to Wigan Athletic in 2010.

Roy Hodgson is keen to strengthen his attacking options in January, but a centre-forward would appear to be his current priority.

Maurizio Sarri came to Stamford Bridge with great credentials. He did well at lowly Napoli, only denied the Italian league by thesuperpowers of Juventus. There were also great expectations that he would win the league at his first attempt. After all, three of his predecessors did it. Mourinho, Ancelotti and Conte all won the premiership the season they took over control.

It started well, with the new look Chelsea under Sarri going on an unbeaten run. The first crack started to show at their home game against Manchester United. It took a last minute equaliser to deny former Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho a fulfilling win at Stamford Bridge.

Then came the disgrace at the hands of city rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. The latest and probably the most shocking defeat so far came from promoted club Wolves. Now the next challenge is high flying Manchester City.

To get anything out of this game, Chelsea players must be at their very best. City don’t take any prisoners. They rarely have off days, they are miles ahead of the rest of the pack. Pep and his boys know that if they beat Chelsea, they have effectively ended the Londoners’ challenge for their crown, they can then concentrate on the threat from Klopp and the Kop.

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Chelsea too will want to stay in the race. They will still want to maintain their challenge, hoping for an unlikely slip up from City boys. By and large, this promises to be an intriguing game. My money is on Manchester City, as usual.

General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, has pleaded with Nigerians, especially the fraudulent ones, not to railroad him into God killing him before his appointed time.

He made the passionate plea during the commencement of his message early Saturday morning at the 3×3 Auditorium, Redemption Camp, Shimawa, Ogun State, during the Holy Ghost Service of the 2018 Holy Ghost Congress tagged: Glory Ahead.

The septuagenarian announced to the mammoth gathering shortly after mounting the pulpit that he had gathered that some people had manufactured and selling souvenirs like car key holders, bracelets, etc with his lone picture or with that of his wife and/or any other person in them.

According to him, he had not authorised such project, saying the phenomenon was from people who wanted to set him up against God by trying to make him share in God’s glory.

The renown cleric, who dangled one of such key holders before the camera for all to see, said he was an ordinary man and not God, noting that elements engaged in such mischief were out to put him into a serious trouble with God.

“I didn’t send them. I have nothing to do with them. I’m an ordinary man. I’m not God.

“What these people are doing can lead to serious trouble, not for them, but for me. God’ll not share His glory with any man.

“If, at any time, God senses that a man is trying to share His glory, that man is dead,” he declared.

Daddy GO, as he’s fondly called, therefore, declared that his time to bid the world bye had not come.

“Whether the devil likes it or not, I’m not going yet. I’m not going anywhere yet,” he declared to the thunderous applause of the worshipers.

He, therefore, passionately appealed to the people to reject or destroy such souvenirs if they’ve already bought it and report such merchants of death to the nearest police station wherever they are found.

“May I appeal to you in the mighty name of Jesus, don’t buy it from them; throw them away. If you see those selling them, report them to the police. I didn’t send them,” he pleaded.

Pastor Adeboye, who’ll be clocking 77 March next year, further disclosed that the producers and dealers in the ungodly souvenirs had more up their sleeves than meet the eye.

“It is not only that, a woman bought one from them, gave it to a child and you know children, anything you give them they think is food, so the child began to eat it.

“And when the mother tried to take it away, she saw that my picture there had opened and underneath my picture was the picture of TB Joshua.

ALSO READ: Badoo: Adeboye leads prayer battle against cults, kidnappers, others

“And you know what that means. Please, don’t cooperate with anybody who tries to kill me. I’m not ready to die yet.

“So, if you find anyone selling these things, report them to the police. Do I hear” amen” to that,” he enthused amid a thunderous “Amen.”

TribuneOnline reports that similar souvenirs in form of bracelets, necklaces, key holders, bangles and rubber bands, among others bearing varying pictures of Pastor Adeboye, have been in circulation for some time among members of RCCG and non-members alike in the South-South States such as Benin, the Edo State capital, Warri, Delta State.

The phenomenon has permeated almost all denominations with members brandishing souvenirs with their leaders’ pictures as totems of protection against road crashes, attacks from enemies, a fortune in business, etc.

Besides hanging these items in the wrists or necks by worshipers from these various denominations, some hang them on the doorposts of their shops, houses, cars, etc.

It will be recalled that Pastor Adeboye has always been in the habit of discouraging members of RCCG to desist from such acts of elevating man above God and putting faith in a man of God rather than the God of man.

The 2018 Holy Ghost Congress, which started December 3, ends today December 8 with Holy Communion and Anointing Service.

No fewer than 39 babies, 21 boys and 18 girls, had been born as of the evening of Friday, December 7, at the ongoing annual congress.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton