It’s being widely reported in Britain that Liverpool are close to bringing Belgian international striker Divock Origi to Anfield six months earlier than planned as they desperately seek to add goals to their frontline. Origi, signed by Liverpool in the summer for £10m, was due to stay with French side Lille until the end of the 2014-15 season.
It makes eminent sense for Liverpool to seek goal-scorers this January: their Premier League tally is 45% (22 goals) down on last year, or a goal a game less; their four recognised strikers – Balotelli, Borini, Lambert and Sturridge – have contributed two league goals in 31 combined hours of football, while their top scorer – with five goals – is Steven Gerrard, the man on his way to the Great Footballing Retirement Home, MLS.
So goals they need, but is 19-year old Origi the man to deliver? Past performance is no guide to future returns, and in Origi’s case, that's a very good thing: he hasn’t scored a goal in over 19 hours of football. Indeed, so bad has his goal drought been that Lille fans booed his every touch following a penalty miss (his second of the season) in a Europa League game back in December:
While Origi is clearly a prospect, he's by no means the man who will make the difference for Liverpool this season. So why are they bringing him to Anfield, given Rodgers says Ballotelli’s staying put, and Daniel Sturridge is finally back in training? It strikes The18 as odd to prematurely bring back a striker into the pressure-cooker atmosphere of Anfield so clearly in need of confidence and game-time.
We can only assume there's a very good reason that our under-developed footballing brains have, as yet, simply been unable to comprehend. After all, this is the infinite sagacity and wisdom of the proven Liverpool Transfer Committee we're talking about, the brain trust that approved the signing of Simon Mignolet (£10m), Luis Alberto (£7m), Iago Aspas (£7m), Joe Allen (£15m), Fabio Borini (£10m) and Tiago Ilori (£7m).
In any event, Liverpool will likely cope without an in-form striker for their treacherous weekend trip to the "no-go zone" that is Birmingham: the Reds have lost only one Premier League game away to Aston Villa in the last 16 years.
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