Player Focus: Premier League Interest in Héctor Moreno is Little Surprise

As the likes of Gareth Bale, Cesc Fàbregas and Luis Suárez dominate every gaping inch of the gossip columns this summer, the second and even third tier level of signings is often cruelly overlooked by the groundbreaking news that ‘a man has turned up to work’. While such stories still persist it is fair to say that the transfer market is slowly beginning to hot up.

Seattle Sounders’ move for Clint Dempsey over the weekend was major news over the pond as Major League Soccer continues to break new ground, and while the return of the Football League, the Eredivisie and Arsenal’s poor showing in the Emirates Cup grasped the attention for many, it’s seemingly business as usual in the world of football transfers with Monday rolling around once again.

The aforementioned trio, amongst other high profile names, continue to dominate the headlines, unfairly casting the “lesser known” players to the lower echelons of the papers. One of those, it can be argued, is Espanyol’s Héctor Moreno, with the Mexico international a supposed target for Welsh duo Swansea and Cardiff City.

Making 32 La Liga appearances last season - one of which came as a substitute - and three Confederations Cup starts during Mexico’s doomed campaign in Brazil allowed fans to get a decent look at Moreno, with the player accruing an average WhoScored.com Primera Division rating of 6.89. The Periquitos may’ve shipped 52 goals last season, a record that wasn’t overly impressive, but the 25-year-old was evidently a key member of their starting XI. His 4 last man tackles in Spain’s top tier was only bettered by ex-Granada centre-back Iñigo López (5); a testament to Moreno’s defensive capabilities.

It’s understandable why both teams are showing an interest in the Mexican. Cardiff, in their first year in the Premier League, will want to show their intentions to remain in England’s top tier of football and have already spent big bringing in Andreas Cornelius and Steven Caulker this summer. Meanwhile Swansea will want to build on last year, especially with an energy sapping Europa League campaign to focus on.

Adding to the depth available to both managers will be a primary concern that will need addressing before the new season starts in a little under two weeks time. Moreno's 37.8 passes per game - only central midfielder Joan Verdú (50.4) played more - indicate towards his insistence on aiming to play the ball out of defence rather than panic when in possession.

This approach would likely appeal to Swansea in particular, with Michael Laudrup’s side famed for their preference of moving the ball forward from the back. Nevertheless, a long ball accuracy of 50.9% - averaging 4.3 successful long balls per game - is poor, while an overall pass success of 76.3% is way down on the standards of the Welsh outfit.

His 1.6 tackles per game may pale in comparison to the rest of the Espanyol side, but his 2.2 interceptions, and the fact that he won possession in the defensive third 99 times during the campaign - the most of any player with the Spanish side - indicates that his reading of the game is his primary asset when it comes to defending, and one that evidently stands him in good stead.

Winning 2.4 aerial duels per game will further reinforce his credentials as a centre-back and while Juan Forlin (3.2) and Christian Stuani (3.1) averaged more than Moreno last season, his ability to win possession either in the air or on the floor enhances his defensive capability, denoting why he has his Premier League admirers.

Moreno’s disciplinary record may worry some - 8 yellows and 1 red won’t appease many possible suitors but it’s reasonable to assume that it is a facet of his game that he would improve upon in the more leniant Premier League. Chico Flores, for example, was on the receiving end of 14 yellow cards in his final year in Spain, compared to just 6 bookings and 1 red last year.

Espanyol will be keen to hold onto the defender this summer - the club won 32.3% of the 31 games he started last season compared to just 14.3% of the 7 he didn’t - highlighting his importance to their 13th placed finish last year and a further reason why they'd resist selling Moreno. Effective with the ball at his feet and in the air, his acquisition would be an astute one for the interested Premier League duo, provided they can convince the Primera Division side to sell.