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With just under a week or so to go until the transfer window limply draws shut for EFL team for permanent moves, Aston Villa have finally confirmed their loan deal for Atletico Madrid’s young shot-stopper, Andre Moreira.
The Portuguese joins on a season-long loan and will be in contention for the number one spot at the club. A fact that he almost seems hesitant to talk about - with the question popping up during his first interview with club media.
Andre is just two years older than Villa’s U23 keeper Matija Sarkic, but will immediately enter Villa as a ‘top-two’ keeper. It’s thought that Jed Steer will initially claim the first spot, and play in Villa’s first-league match. That being said, it’d be a bit of an odd move for Villa to make a move for a goalkeeper if they have no intention at all of playing that goalkeeper. It’s quite clear that the competition for that spot is now open.
Moreira comes to Villa with very little experience, but a fairly high talent ceiling. That’d make him somewhat similar to Sam Johnstone - albeit a little bit younger. Sam did come into Villa as a veteran of English football though. It’s also thought Villa have corrected their admin mistakes - and have actually agreed a fee for Moreira as an option at the end of the season-long loan deal. We’ll have to wait and see on that.
Football analyst and scout, Tiago Estêvão had a few things to say about Moreira, that we’ve embedded below.
Have been getting a lot of questions about a possible André Moreira move to #AVFC: very talented shot-stopper in massive need for game-time. Not the best with his feet but young, tall, imposing goalkeeper. Villa getting him on a loan with an option to buy could prove very smart.
— Tiago Estêvão (@TiagoEstv) July 28, 2018
So he hasn't been a team's consistent, starting GK... ever. But he's talented enough to overcome that. Just worry about possible integration/communication issues. Not a single PT/SPA speaking player at Villa. Much less any defender. That's particularly important for a goalkeeper.
— Tiago Estêvão (@TiagoEstv) July 28, 2018
This is very much ‘wait and see deal’, but it seems Tiago’s main worry about integration issues has been dealt with - Andre seems comfortable, and can speak English well. That’s one down, let’s see how he manages with the actual playing of the game.
Funnily enough, Villa have confirmed the move today - the 1st of August. A date which has been important for other teams in the league who have been operating under EFL transfer embargo restrictions. It seems Villa’s business could only be confirmed today - all speculation of course, but it falls in line with what we currently understand about Birmingham City’s embargo, which the club had hoped to push back today.
With one deal done, and time running out for Steve Bruce to bolster his team, will we see any more deals cross the line? Watch this space.