Unai Emery
Unai Emery insists Alex Moreno’s offensive qualities are what persuaded him to sign the left-back for Aston Villa in the January transfer window.
Moreno signed for Villa from Real Betis in a deal worth £13 million and has featured three times for the club. He made his full debut in the 1-0 win at Southampton between appearances against Leeds United and Leicester City.
Emery recruited Moreno in January as he wanted to add a different profile of full-back to his squad to what he already had in Lucas Digne, while Sweden international Ludwig Augustinsson then saw his loan stint cut short following the 29-year-old’s arrival last month. Villa boss Emery believes the Spanish defender will continue adapting to the Premier League before the season is out.
Unai Emery said: “First, I know the Spanish La Liga players well. Second, in some circumstances, when buying players, the Spanish LaLiga, with clauses or with some teams that at some point have a need to sell (and offer opportunities). It’s not that, in addition to all this, we only have one market, but rather that we look for markets where we can find footballers who are involved, who also want to find challenges. In this case, Alex Moreno, from the first call I had with him, made me want to know the Premier League. He is also in a great club, playing in Europe, but he, like me, identified that he was going to be challenged a lot, face something different and that’s what made us call him. Finding a winger too, knowing him, with the characteristics that he gives us and what he has worked a lot at Betis in recent years, a player on the left wing with a lot of depth in the last third, with a lot of ability to be offensive from that position In building certain steps with the team I wanted to find that with him.”
