Alberto Moreno Reportedly Done at Liverpool

Ah, left fullbacks. The eternal problem position. Liverpool haven't gone through a transfer window without huge question marks surrounding the left back spot for over a decade, and 2017 doesn't look to be any different. Reported first-choice target Ryan Sessegnon looks set to remain in London and join rivals Tottenham, leaving the Reds scrambling down their list of viable options.

They must do this, because their current alternatives simply aren't good enough for a Champions League side. Midfielder James Milner was serviceable — bordering on impressive — in the opening months of the season, but eventually showed some cracks in his defensive game, and by the end of the year, was getting targeted by opposition strategies weekly.

Then there is Alberto Moreno. The Spaniard has been a polarising figure at Anfield ever since he arrived from Sevilla back in 2014. His tongue-wagging, unhinged charm and mercurial hyperspeed offensive capabilities endeared him to a large portion of the fanbase, while his penchant for throwing himself into tackles from hopeless angles and completely losing sight of his man in crucial defensive situations made him an easy target for frustrated supporters. While the 24-year old undoubtedly lacks defensive nous, he wasn't helped by playing next to an equally positionally unconventional Dejan Lovren in a vulnerable Rodgers side that did little to protect its backline.

Under Jürgen Klopp, Moreno has been increasingly removed from the first-team picture. Two starts and less than 300 league minutes in 2016/17 paints a picture of a player that has fallen out of favour with his manager. And now, the Liverpool Echo are reporting that Moreno is expected to leave the club this summer, either permanently or on loan, with Newly promoted Newcastle and Rafa Benítez are supposedly sniffing around. No transfer fee has been indicated yet, but with the player so clearly on the way out, the Reds will likely be happy to recoup the £12m they paid for the former Sevilla man three years ago.

It hasn't been the experience either Liverpool nor Moreno wanted, and there is no need for hard feelings on either side of the equation, but at this point, it seems sensible that club and player part ways.