Alex Moreno proving himself as bargain of the season after stellar Aston Villa form
Alex Moreno has been a figurehead for the Unai Emery revolution at Aston Villa ever since arriving at the club in the January transfer window.
The Villans snapped the left-back up in a meagre £13.3million deal from Real Betis, while Premier League rivals were splashing the cash left, right and centre.
The club’s £28million outlay on Moreno and Colombian teenager Jhon Duran is starting to look like better and better business with every passing week, with the Spanish defender, in particular, taking to English football like a duck to water.
Moreno was regarded as one of the brightest full-backs in Spanish football before sealing his move to the Premier League and was the only left-back in Europe’s top five leagues to have won over 60 tackles and register over 10 goal involvements since the start of last season when he signed for Villa. [FBREF]
His attacking involvements for Real Betis in the 2021/22 season begs the question of why no other Premier League clubs came snooping in the winter window.
As per Transfermarkt, Moreno recorded an impressive five goals and four assists for the La Liga outfit last season while picking up five assists this term when combining his numbers for both Villa and Real Betis.
In his 12 outings in a Villa top this season, the 29-year-old has highlighted his vast offensive qualities, being happy to surge into the final third, get to the byline and deliver crosses for the likes of Ollie Watkins. [WhoScored]
Since January, Moreno has recorded a team-high 18 dribbles while delivering two or more key passes in a game in 50% of his games in a Villa shirt.
The 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest was a prime example of why themoren Spaniard has cemented his position in the first-team ahead of Frenchman Lucas Digne in recent weeks.
During his 90-minute showing, the full-back had 77 touches of the ball – completing 37 passes – delivered two key passes and three dibbles.
Moreno has occasionally been found wanting in defence, struggling to find the balance between attack and defence, notably in the 1-1 draw against West Ham, but the defender chipped in with his fair share of defensive actions against Steve Cooper’s side.
Coming up against a fluid Forest frontline that included the devastating pace of Brennan Johnson, Moreno chipped in with two clearances and an impressive four tackles.
If the Spaniard can continue his lights-out form in the season’s run-in, he must surely be considered one of the bargains of the season.
On the evidence so far, this could be Villa’s best use of £13million in quite some time.
In other Aston Villa news, Unai Emery might have a new star on the block after an injury expert shared news on a first-team ace.