Hector Moreno signs for Roma

Sooooo, that was unexpected, wasn't it? Out of nowhere, Monchi has lured Mexican Hector Moreno to Rome. The 29-year-old (born in 1988, 184 cm, about as tall as De Rossi or Juan Jesus) signed a contract with the Giallorossi until 2021. So far no word on the official price of Moreno but sources say it's around 5-6m. Not too shabby.

Roma has bought Moreno from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, AKA Strootman's former love. And boy if Hector even has 50% of Kevin's attitude and passion for the shirt, we did a damn good deal. He's left-footed and can also play LB when needed. When you look closer at his numbers, it seems Moreno can score a goal or two as well. Last season he scored 7 goals in 32 games for PSV, the year before 4 in 29 games. A nice weapon to have on corners.

The Mexican travels to Rome with a bag of experience, most of it in the Dutch Eredivisie. Moreno has won two titles in the Netherlands, with AZ in 2009 and PSV in 2016 and has almost 80 caps for the Mexican NT. On the international stage he featured for his country in two World Cups: 2010 and 2014, plus he won the CONCACAF in 2015. FYI that's some sort of Copa America/African Cup of Nations but for countries in North and Central America. Ow, he also played approx. 100 games in the Primera Division with Barcelona. Unfortunately the smaller side of the city, Espanyol. Yet, playing against Suarez, Villa, Neymar, Bale, Messi, Ronaldo, Benzema, and co sure is something to brag about as a defender and could be useful when dealing with Serie A's strikers.

It's quite the resume. Now, let's hear it from the man himself:

Moreno: "I am very happy to sign for Roma. This represents an important step up in my career. I hope I can show my individual qualities and contribute to the overall success of the team.”

Monchi: "“Moreno has been a target of mine for a long time, and fortunately now the circumstances are right for him to join us at Roma. This is a central defender with a lot of international experience, and he fits the profile we were looking for perfectly.”

(courtesy of asroma.com)

This was a typical Saba Monchi night move, as his name wasn't particularly mentioned in the media, let alone here on CDT. Whether he's simply a replacement for Castan and Jesus in the team (and thus bench player, acting as a deputy) or a real challenger for the likes of Fazio and Manolas, remains to be seen. But hey, at least this sounds beter than Loria, Scurto, Diamoutene or Guillerme Burdisso, no? Moreno soon flies to Russia to participate in the FIFA Confederations Cup so it might be interesting to see our new boy live at work.

Please feel free to share your opinion about this one in the comment section below. It would be nice if some Mexican/South-American fans could give their view as well.

Hola, Hector! Bienvenida en Roma! (kudos to Google translate)