Nottingham Forest thought they’d signed Alex Moreno in 2022 but he stunned them by rejecting a transfer. Now, he will miss out on showing the Reds what they could have signed, with the Aston Villa man injured.
Forest identified Moreno when he was playing for Real Betis as a player who could come in and bolster their squad. A deal was all agreed at one stage, but the player held reservations and called it off.
The 30-year-old had no such reservations when Unai Emery came calling at Aston Villa. In January he completed a £13 million move to Villa Park and made 19 appearances as the team qualified for Europe.
Moreno unlikely to face Forest today
The Reds don’t look like they will get the chance to face Moreno when they line up against Aston Villa today. Birmingham Live claims that he has returned to training but it would be a risk to start him.
Last season, the player was a quality addition to the ranks. Emery identified him shortly after he’d replaced Steven Gerrard as the club’s manager and acted fast.
Forest were left to rue their failure to land Moreno in the summer. In fairness to the Reds, however, the club couldn’t have done much more to get a deal over the line.
Moreno could have starred at the City Ground
Forest were desperate to land another left-sided wing-back at the time when Moreno was touted with a move. In the end, the club decided to press ahead with a move for Renan Lodi instead.
One-time Forest target Moreno was integral to Villa’s revival during the second half of last season. Back in March, he was called ‘fantastic’ by Alan Shearer on Match of the Day after he shone against West Ham.
Forest have moved on since failing to land Moreno. The player would have been a long-term option and this season they have Harry Toffolo, Ola Aina and Nuno Tavares to fight it out for the left-back shirt.
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