View: Alex Moreno transfer could spell disaster for Lucas Digne at Villa Park
Aston Villa are reportedly keen on signing Real Betis left-back Alex Moreno in the January transfer window, a move which could cast doubt over Lucas Digne’s place under Unai Emery.
Villa are in “advanced talks” with the 29-year-old, according to reports in Spain, and the defender could be set to become Emery’s first signing since his appointment as manager at Villa Park. [Birmingham Live, 6 January]
Moreno’s arrival would cast some doubt over Digne’s, and loanee Ludwig Augustinsson’s positions in the first-team squad as Emery looks to ruffle some feathers and shake up his squad in the winter window.
Digne, 29, has failed to live up to his £25 million pricetag since moving to the West Midlands last January and has often looked defensively vulnerable down the left flank in recent months.
Picked up by Steven Gerrard as an upgrade on Matt Targett, the left-back featured 16 times last campaign and returned an impressive four assists but has failed to register the same impact this term, as Villa’s league form has dramatically dipped.
Despite always offering a solid attacking output, the Frenchman has looked unable to meet the physical nature of Emery’s game plan so far and lacked the fitness to constantly press as his Spanish manager requests.
Villa’s insistence to sign a full-back this January could spell danger for Digne, who might not have done enough to solidify himself in Emery’s long-term plans at the club.
His potential successor, Moreno, almost joined Nottingham Forest in the summer transfer window before withdrawing from a medical at the last second to remain in La Liga, where he has since made 18 appearances. [Nottingham Post, 7 August]
It seems as though the Spaniard fits the bill for Emery. He is an experienced left-back who should be able to strike up an instant connection with the manager without having to worry about a language barrier.
The 29-year-old has racked up 145 appearances in La Liga and a further 148 in the second tier, so this is a player who knows his craft and someone who can hopefully improve the first team straight away.
Whether Digne will be ousted from his starting berth if the Moreno deal is completed is still unknown, but this interest shows an alarming lack of faith in the left-back.
In other Aston Villa news, the women’s team have signed a pass master in Arsenal legend Jordan Nobbs.