According to Mirror, Arsenal are monitoring Alberto Moreno’s situation at Liverpool with his current contract set to expire at the end of the season. The Gunners have identified the Spaniard as an ideal candidate as they look to bolster their defensive department next season.
Moreno, 26, is likely to leave at the end of the season when his contract expires and is available for pre-contract, can only join a club from outside England.
So, Arsenal will have to make a bid for him or wait until the summer to sign him on a free transfer. But, is he a good enough player for the Gunners?
Alberto Moreno: Player profile and attributes
Moreno initially moved to the Premier League back in 2014 in a £16 million move from Sevilla. He was a first-team regular during his first two seasons at Liverpool, making a total of 60 appearances during the 2014-15 and 2015-16.
But, soon after the arrival of Jürgen Klopp in October 2015, Moreno’s importance at Liverpool took a drastic hit even though he did end up featuring in 28 matches during the 2015-16 campaign. After that, the Spaniard made only 12 league appearances in the following campaign as an injury and Andrew Robertson’s breakthrough further restricted his overall game time.
This season, Moreno is yet to make a league appearance with Robertson predominantly being the first choice left-back. The former’s lack of defensive prowess coupled with his occasional loss in concentration certainly didn’t help his cause.
However, he is pretty good when it comes to providing the offensive support, thanks to his technical prowess as you would normally expect from any Spanish full-back. At the same time, Moreno lacks the physical prowess as well as the aerial qualities that are almost necessary in order to thrive in the English top flight these days.
Do Arsenal really need Alberto Moreno?
The acquisition of Alberto Moreno will be a bold move as far as Arsenal are concerned. Although it’s probably fair to say that the Gunners have struggled with lack of depth in the full-back department, especially injury-prone nature of Sead Kolasinac, signing an error-prone defender will be the last thing coach Unai Emery would want.
Despite the fact that Spanish mastermind has previously worked with Moreno during their time together at Sevilla, the 26-year-old lacks the composure as well as the vigour to become successful in the Premier League. Thus, the Gunners should definitely drop their interest in the Liverpool star and instead, look for a viable option in the market.
Philipp Max, for one, could be an exciting candidate as well as Marvin Plattenhardt of Hertha Berlin.
Stat courtesy: Transfermarkt
