OPINION
Recency bias is a very real thing in sport, and football is no different. All of a sudden Arsenal are the dominant team in London and Mohamed Salah is a one season wonder.
Liverpool must ensure that they avoid the perils of short term thinking, however, when considering the future of Merseyside derby hero Divock Origi.
The Belgian international emerged from obscurity to prod the Reds to a 1-0 victory over Everton on Sunday following Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s late howler.
However, that should not mean that he is suddenly a part of Jurgen Klopp’s long term plans. The Telegraph reported this summer that the team were looking to offload Origi, with them turning down a loan offer from German giants Borussia Dortmund because it didn’t include an obligation to buy the player.
They were desperate to get rid of the former Lille man, and one good cameo off the bench shouldn’t change that. He still hasn’t made enough progress in recent years and doesn’t look like he has a chance of being a regular fixture in this team moving forward.
He’s simply not good enough to penetrate the front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, while Daniel Sturridge is also ahead of him in the pecking order. You would also think that youngster Dominic Solanke has more of a chance at the club in the long term.
That doesn’t leave a lot of room for the 23-year-old.
Origi’s not a bad player and he can make an impact in games, as he did on Sunday, but Klopp and co. shouldn’t allow that to cloud their judgement come the January transfer window.
Liverpool must be looking to get better and evolve in a positive sense every transfer window. Origi is a remnant of the past, and should be consigned to history once the New Year rolls around.
He will now always have a place in Reds fans’ hearts after his derby day intervention on Sunday, but he’s not a different player all of a sudden. He’s the same man the club wanted to sell in the summer, and they should attempt to do the same in January.
