Moreno is Emery's first signing, Guendouzi next in line

Betis finally had to give up on one of its best players: Alex Moreno is the first Unai Emery signing in Aston Villa. The talented left back officially signed for the Villains on an undisclosed fee today, and will debut for the Birmingham based club as soon as his visa application is sorted. Even thou Villa didn’t give the official transfer fee, the Spanish media already know that the figure is around 15 million euros, with the additional 2 million as a potential bonus. His club prior to Betis, Rayo Vallecano is also due to receive around 20% of the transfer fee.

This could end up as a pretty good deal for Villa, as Moreno has only missed one league game in Spain this season. He is a quality defender and it’s just a matter of how quickly will he adapt to the Premier League. It’s worth mentioning that in the last January’s transfer window, former coach Steven Gerrard brought in Lucas Digne from Everton, who plays at the same position.

"Alex is a good player that can help our squad. He has been one of the top left-backs in La Liga over the past few seasons and we are delighted to have him here" said Unai Emery after the signature.

The Spanish tactician has also set his sights on his former Arsenal midfielder –Matteo Guendouzi. Just like Real Betis, the French giant Marseille is also in a permanent financial crisis, and could be tempted to sell their midfielder, but unlike Moreno, he will not come cheap. According to the first reports, Villa is prepared to pay 40 million for the French international, but Marseille is holding out for 50 million. Guendouzi played a total of 66 times under Emery at Arsenal, scoring one goal. The 23-year-old left Arsenal in the summer after a reported falling out with manager Mikel Arteta.