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Guess it's a good thing. Borini turned down that move to Sunderland after all, then....
Liverpool have apparently confirmed the Origi transfer, for a fee that will cap out at £10 million including add-ons. This is the same Divock Origi who was starting ahead of Romelu Lukaku in the World Cup, and isn't yet 20 years old, so it's fair to say there is more than a little upside here. Origi will spend another year at Lille honing his craft, and Liverpool might have him here ready to break into the first team as soon as 2015-2016. I personally love his fit in the Brendan Rodgers system, as he is a very mobile player who could function effectively both as a lone striker in place of Sturridge or as a wider player alongside him in a 4-3-3. He's even played some no.10 for Lille, so versatility is very much a plus point here.
Still, Liverpool aren't going to have Origi here this year, when the team will be stretched by what we hope will be another title run and the return of Champions League football to Anfield after several hard years in the wilderness of European competition. The loss of Suarez leaves Liverpool relying heavily on Daniel Sturridge who has shown himself to be well worthy of the starting centre-forward spot when healthy. The problem being that Studge has had some trouble staying fit for an entire season, as we observed last year. There is a clear need for a strong back-up striker, preferably one good enough to push Studge in training and allow Brendan to rest our no.15 on occasions throughout a long season. Loic Remy seemed an interesting fit, on an affordable transfer fee and seemingly accepting of his role as a second banana but doubtlessly talented enough to challenge if Sturridge ever fell out of form, as evidenced by his 20 goals in just 41 games in England.
Well, that £8.5 million move that seemed to make a lot of sense is now apparently off, due to a failed medical. Liverpool are now left with a striker depth chart of Sturridge, Lambert and the aforementioned Borini. This is likely enough for Liverpool to contend with this season, especially with the firepower in midfield. The hope is for Origi to join this attacking unit in the near future as well, perhaps dovetailing nicely with a decline in minutes for Lambert and perhaps a move for Borini.
Still, don't be surprised to see Liverpool make a move for another striker. Perhaps another raid of Southampton for Jay Rodriguez.
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