Last summer, Àlex Moreno left Aston Villa and completed a permanent move to Girona.
Monday’s edition of Diari de Girona, a newspaper local to the La Liga club, has published an interview with the left-back.
The newspaper asked the 32-year-old about Girona manager Míchel’s role in his arrival from Aston Villa.
Moreno decided to join the Catalan club after a chat with their manager and Girona sporting director, Quique Cárcel.
“In the summer, he sent me a message saying that, if there was an option to come to Girona, he would like it to happen. Quique Cárcel also had something to do with it. When I spoke to them, I decided to come here,” he said.
The fullback was then asked whether he was convinced immediately. This is when he talks about Girona, who played in the Champions League last season, and their reputation.
“It’s a very nice challenge. A club that has just played in the Champions League with a very solid team. I spoke to Míchel and Arnau Martínez, who I knew. It was very easy, and I didn’t think much about it,” Moreno explained.
The Spaniard also confirmed Girona wanted to sign him in the past when he was at Rayo Vallecano.
Moreno joined Aston Villa from Real Betis in January 2023 and played 48 matches with them. Last season, the Villans sent him on loan to Nottingham Forest and he was reduced to a limited role.
Having returned to Spain, he explained the dressing room experience is different in England and at Girona. Moreno said this when asked whether he was part of group activities with the Catalan club.
“I come from England and there were not so many group meetings there. We met more in small groups,” he added.
“Here, on the other hand, you can see that the team wants to hang out. We have lunches, lots of jokes and that makes the dressing room. The week we hosted Valencia we had a dinner and that always serves to get the group together and row in the same direction.”
The ex-Aston Villa man has played seven matches for Girona so far.
