After being heavily linked with a move to Nottingham Forest in the summer which the 29 year old turned down according to Diario de Sevilla, left-back Álex Moreno is on the verge of signing for Aston Villa.
Sky Sports report that a fee of £12.5m has been agreed and the Spaniard will become the first signing of the Unai Emery Era.
The first question Aston Villa fans may ask is: Does this signing make sense? We have taken a look at some key factors of the move to try and answer this question.
Healthy Competition
The former La Masia graduate has played 15 out of 16 games in La Liga this season, being a nailed-on starter in the Real Betis backline this season.
This may not be the case at Aston Villa, as he will have to battle it out with Lucas Digne to secure a place on the team sheet.
This could create a good rivalry between the two fullbacks, leading to solid performances from both players.
Attacking Threat
In La Liga this season, Moreno has three assists.
This is a large improvement on Digne, as the Frenchmen has failed to register a single assist in the Premier League so far this season.
On the other hand, Digne's ability to create problems from set pieces is a huge advantage for The Villains.
Key Statistics
By looking at both players' underlying numbers, it is clear that defensively both players have their strengths and weaknesses.
Moreno is a better tackler than Digne as well as having a higher number of blocks and clearances per 90 minutes in the past year.
However, one major flaw in Moreno's game is his presence in the air, as on average he has only won 0.63 aerial duels per 90 compared to Digne's 1.59 per 90 in the past year.
This could cause many problems for Villa if he is put up against a taller opponent, especially in such a physical league.
Squad depth
This is something that a lot of fans do not take into account.
However, squad depth is probably the most important factor when looking at what Moreno adds to the Midlands side.
With Premier League fixtures becoming much more congested this season due to the World Cup being hosted in December, squad depth can completely make or break a club's season.
Clubs can face huge consequences if just one key player is sidelined with an injury.
This is where having strength in depth comes into play.
Many times in the past it has been shown how much of an advantage it is to have a squad that has access to several options, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side is the perfect example of that.
They can almost field two lineups that could challenge for the title, and this has been instrumental in their recent success.
Other notes
It is important to conside that Moreno has never played outside of Spain, so it may take time for him to adapt to the Premier League. It is quite common to see players struggling to settle in to the English top flight for their first few games.
As he is already 29 years old, the move could be seen as a short term fix rather than one for the future from The Villains' point of view.
VAVEL's opinion
Taking all of the points mentioned into account, this seems to be a very solid signing for Emery's Aston Villa.
Looking back at healthy competition, an excellent example of how it works wonders is the rise of Luke Shaw, who had arguably his best ever season following the signing of Alex Telles at Manchester United.
Telles was even recruited to possibly replace the English left-back in 2020.
Only time will tell how Moreno will perform at Villa Park, and VAVEL rate the signing a 6 out of 10 for The Villains.
Aston Villa welcome Leeds to Villa Park on Friday evening, so Moreno will not be expected to make his debut soon.
However, Villa fans will likely see Moreno feature in a claret and blue shirt in the coming weeks should the transfer be confirmed.
