The club has decided not to renew this players’ contract, which expires at the end of this season
Alberto Moreno’s future at Liverpool, or a lack of it, has more or less been decided it seems. The Spaniard arrived in 2014 to give the club hopes of solving its long-term issues, but he has failed to live up to potential, and has become the not-so-wanted second-choice after the breakthrough that current ever-present Andy Robertson had following his own small-budget signing from Hull City.
With Moreno’s departure confirmed by Liverpool, the current Premier League leaders will have to replace the 26-year-old, thus ensuring they have a capable left-back who can fill in for Scotland international Robertson as and when needed going into the 2019/20 season. And according to James Pearce, who was doing a Q&A with the Echo, that man could turn out to be likely young Englishman Adam Lewis, who currently stars for the U23s. “Liverpool have big hopes for Lewis and if he steps up and delivers between now and August he could establish himself as Robertson’s deputy with Moreno leaving this summer,” he told the Echo.
“It will be interesting to see what Klopp does in terms of back-up for Alisson as I’d expect Mignolet to move on. If he doesn’t think Kelleher or Grabara are ready to be the No 2 then he will need to sign a more experienced keeper. I’d certainly expect Hoever, Jones and Camacho to stick around as squad players.”
The Reds, under coach Jurgen Klopp, are seeking their first-ever Premier League crown while also looking to go deep into the Champions League, with a marquee clash with German giants Bayern Munich on the horizon as well. If they do decide to look into the academy instead of splashing the cash, it would be a bold yet welcome move.
Author’s take
It is no doubt interesting to see Klopp decide to cast his net into the U23 side rather than looking in the ever-unstable transfer market for a backup option. And while not much is known about Lewis when it comes to his profile, a full summer with the first-team will give him enough time to establish himself during the off-season.
The club may be able to use the money saved from this move to fund purchases in other areas, like a another central defender and a quality back-up goalkeeper, while a nabbing a striker will also be a big statement given the expected departures of Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge.
