Having been linked with/inquired about/swooped for a slew of left backs since the last days of the Pleistocene period, Liverpool still currently only have Alberto Moreno as the prime candidate to fill the role for the upcoming season. While Brad Smith, and to an extent Jon Flanagan, remain viable options as deputies, it's no great secret that Liverpool could use help in this area, especially with Moreno not having made the best impression in the last competitive fixture of Liverpool's 2015-16 campaign.
Enter longtime Arsenal stalwart Kieran Gibbs. Initially touted as the successor to Ashley Cole, Gibbs has had mixed success in maintaining a grip on the left back position at the Emirates over the years - a situation that was not helped a by a number of injuries during the early part of his career. Most recently, Gibbs seems to have fallen behind Nacho Monreal in the pecking order, with the Spaniard flourishing since moving from central defense, while Gibbs' development seems to have slowed. Arsène Wenger is reportedly ready to listen to offers for Gibbs, with the magic number speculated to be, oh let's just say £12m shall we?
A converted winger, Gibbs has always shown enterprise going forward without really developing a reputation as an adept crosser of the ball. On the defensive side of things, Monreal has edged ahead of Gibbs in terms of positional discipline and aerial ability. Though Gibbs is a fine player who, at 26 years of age, is both further along in his development and has more Premier League experience relative to Moreno, Liverpool supporters might be forgiven for wondering whether securing Gibbs would drastically improve the outlook at that position.
Which would be a fine question to ponder if Liverpool's rumored interest were true. Since the close of the season, the list of names linked with the club has included Ben Chilwell, Jordan Amavi and Jonas Hector, to name just a few. None of these purported deals really strains the limits of credulity, but nothing has really left the realm of the hypothetical either. The press knows that if left backs were a 24-hour convenience store, Liverpool would be that guy who shows up without fail every week to buy a red bull and some lottery tickets. Stranger things have happened, but one would need a healthy dose of optimism to feel like Liverpool have the winning numbers in Gibbs.