The final two weeks of the transfer window are set to be busy for Aston Villa as several players could arrive and leave Villa Park.
Unai Emery is taking his Aston Villa side to West Ham this evening for the opening match of the Premier League season.
The Villans could have seven new signings to select from at the London Stadium, including Amadou Onana and Jaden Philogene.
Emery has also seen multiple players depart the club this summer, the most notable being Douglas Luiz to Juventus and record-signing Moussa Diaby to Al-Ittihad.
The exit of Luiz raised the most eyebrows, as the Brazilian was one of Villa’s most important players last term and Martin Keown thinks the decision to sell him was ‘bonkers’.
However, his departure was required to satisfy PSR regulations while Emery has recently said he’s maxed out his 25-man squad, with further sales needed.
- READ MORE: Aston Villa predicted XI, team and injury news as Unai Emery starts Ollie Watkins v West Ham
Nottingham Forest want to sign Aston Villa’s Alex Moreno on loan
This summer, one of Emery’s most eye-catching signings was Ian Maatsen from Chelsea for £37.5 million.
Arriving as a left-back providing competition for Alex Moreno and Lucas Digne, the 22-year-old is expected to become the long-term successor in that position.
With Digne impressing in pre-season and preferred over Moreno, the Spaniard is likely to depart this summer as he searches for regular game time.
As per The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Nottingham Forest have emerged as potential suitors for the 31-year-old, who are interested in taking him on a season-long loan.
European sides Besiktas, Galatasaray, Nice, Real Betis and Villarreal also like the idea of signing Moreno and this could point towards him departing this summer, either on loan or permanently.
Aston Villa are correct to loan out or sell Moreno
Moreno has approached a stage of his career where needs to be playing regular football and following the arrival of Maatsen, that isn’t something Emery can guarantee him.
Similarly to Cameron Archer, who joined Southampton permanently on Friday, the former Real Betis defender needs to join a club where he’s the main man, as opposed to someone second or third choice.
Last term, the dynamic between him and Digne worked well, as the two rotated with each other however, now Emery has upgraded that position with the Dutchman, Moreno is essentially seen as third choice.
Letting the experienced Spaniard depart also opens extra space in his first-team squad, allowing him to invest in positions he needs such as centre-back and striker instead.
A solid servant for Villa, who was ‘brilliant’ for Emery last term, it’s best for his career if he leaves on loan, with Forest offering him the chance to stay in the Premier League.
