Middlesbrough Opinion: Why Middlesbrough need to make a move for Alex Moreno

While Middlesbrough sit fifth in the Championship, that has been down to manager Tony Pulis’ style of play and tactics. Known to be very defensive, the 61-year-old has kept up that trend and that has pushed Boro up the table, all the way to fifth.

The club has conceded only 24 goals in the English second tier, the lowest in the league. While that is commendable, the club has only scored 38 goals, which does happen to be the joint fourth-lowest tally in the league.

But the former West Brom manager is getting results out of his players and that has been more than enough for the Middlesbrough board so far. And with the summer window approaching, it does give the club a chance to add to their team.

That’s something that Boro really need to do, given that the club has a lot of players past their prime and there’s a lack of depth in certain areas. This will pose a problem for Boro next season, especially in the defence as the club only has one left-back permanently signed.

While they did bring in Sam McQueen, the 24-year-old is on loan from Southampton and will return to the Premier League side at the end of the season. This complicates things for Tony Pulis and that’s exactly why the club needs to make a move for La Liga star Alex Moreno.

The Rayo Vallecano left-back has been in fine form for the La Liga side this season and has missed just one game so far. While his consistent presence on the team-sheet has been crucial to his rise, the 25-year-old’s skill-set make him close to perfect for Boro.

As a former winger, the Spaniard’s offensive abilities are fine-tuned and moreover, he uses it perfectly when bombing up and down the flanks. His defensive nuance needs to be worked on, but loan spells at Elche FC and his time at RCD Mallorca B saw him improve that as well. Time further saw him improve his tackling and more so, his tactical intelligence.

Read more Middlesbrough news, click here: Middlesbrough latest news

Conclusion

However, what does make him close to perfect for Middlesbrough and Tony Pulis is the fact that Alex Moreno can play as a left wing-back. The former Stoke City manager has shifted to a three-back formation but at the moment, both George Friend and Sam McQueen are out injured.

This has seen Pulis use both George Saville as a left wing-back and though the 25-year-old is a talented midfielder, he isn’t a natural left wing-back. It further showcases why Middlesbrough have to make a move for Alex Moreno in the summer window.