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The transfer window shut yesterday in Spain, and with it, rumours of a late move by Real Madrid to land Alberto Moreno came to nothing. According to Spanish paper AS, though, it wasn’t due to Liverpool’s determination to keep hold of the 23-year-old left back.
Rather it was due to Real manager Rafa Benitez deciding he that the flexibility of Albero Arbeloa gave him enough cover at the position and that bringing in Moreno to back up Marcelo would only have led to a situation with too many players and not enough minutes to keep them all happy.
Given Moreno never would have been arriving as a starter and Liverpool would have wanted to make back the full £12M spent on him last summer, reports of Real interest always seemed a stretch. At least from Real’s point of view. Moreno, though, would have likely jumped at the chance.
Currently, the left back is stuck behind an 18-year-old right-footed centre half at Liverpool and appears out of favour with manager Brendan Rodgers, and so a move to the Spanish capital might well have appealed, even if it wouldn’t have seen him any higher on Real’s depth chart.
In the end, though, it doesn’t especially matter why Moreno is still a Liverpool player today. All that matters is that he is. And hopefully, following the international break and Joe Gomez’ disastrous outing against West Ham, he will now be given the chance to earn back the starting role.
