According to a report from Football.London, West Ham are linked with Real Betis left-back Alex Moreno.
Alex Moreno, 26, only joined Real Betis from Rayo Vallecano last summer. The Spaniard has impressed this season with four assists in 23 La Liga appearances. His performances have caught West Ham’s attention, but he does have a €40m release clause, the report adds.
The Hammers have endured one of their worst seasons in the Premier League and are at the risk of getting relegated to the Championship. They are currently 16th in the league table and have just nine games to save themselves.
West Ham have lacked consistency in both defensive and offensive units and the need for reinforcements has been highlighted throughout the season. One of the main reasons for their underwhelming displays throughout the 2019/20 campaign is the lack of stability at the back.
The East Londoners have leaked a whopping 50 goals in just 29 games. Their problems at the back have been exposed throughout the campaign, with none of the defenders performing consistently, barring Angelo Ogbonna. The lack of a reliable partner for Ogbonna has seen West Ham concede goals at an alarming rate.
Irrespective of whether they stay in the Premier League or not, West Ham are in dire need of defensive reinforcements. In addition to signing a couple of central defenders, the manager should also address the left-back area.
Aaron Cresswell is in rapid decline while Arthur Masuaku has failed to impress since moving to the London Stadium in the summer of 2016 from Olympiacos. Neither Cresswell nor Masuaku has made the left-back spot their own.
As the duo is far from being a solution to one of West Ham’s key areas, a left-back ahead of next season wouldn’t go amiss. That being said, the Hammers must sign Alex Moreno.
A youth product of FC Vilafranca’s system, Moreno failed to break into the first-team and joined Llagostera in 2012. After just a season, he left the club to join Mallorca. The Spaniard impressed at Mallorca and was quickly snapped up by Rayo Vallecano in 2014.
The defender spent five years with Rayo and helped the club clinch promotion to La Liga in the 2017/18 campaign. However, Moreno joined Betis on a five-year contract after Rayo were relegated last season. And at Betis, the left-back has done enough to attract attention from West Ham ahead of the summer transfer window.
Moreno has gained decent La Liga experience and at 26, he is at the right age of his career to test himself in the Premier League. The former Rayo Vallecano man would certainly add strength to West Ham’s left-back area.
Thus, West Ham must not hesitate to trigger the Spanish left-back’s €40m release clause and sign him from Betis.
