Harry Kewell wants Liverpool to sign an upgrade on Divock Origi as he wants a back-up forward capable of keeping Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane as well as Roberto Firmino on their toes.
The former Liverpool winger revealed that he knows it sounds crazy but he shared he believes Jurgen Klopp’s needs another striker as while Origi is fantastic, he doesn’t challenge the front-three for their first-team spots.
Kewell insisted he had nothing against Origi as the Belgian attacker has scored some important goals, but suggested it wasn’t enough to ensure Salah, Firmino and Mane were constantly at their best.
“Personally, I think they need another striker,” said Kewell on Sky Sports’ The Debate (Wednesday, October 23rd, 22:36).
“I know it sounds crazy as the front three are amazing, but I think they need another one to test them.
“I’ve got nothing against Origi, he’s a fantastic player who does his part, he has scored some important goals and like I said he is a fantastic squad player as the front three are solid, I just think my own personal opinion, I’d love to see someone to challenge that front three to keep them on their game.
“Even now, watching Liverpool play in the Premier League, Mane is on fire, Salah has been on fire but isn’t at the moment and Firmino, even though I think he does a lot of the dog work for Salah and Mane, still doesn’t score.
“I just think if they had someone up there…”
OPINION
While Kewell clearly means no disrespect to Origi, the Reds forward isn’t exactly going to view his remarks as a ringing endorsement. The former Reds winger clearly believes the club’s current front-three can afford to rest on their laurels as they know Origi isn’t breathing down their neck and that seems really harsh. After all the 24-year-old doesn’t have the easiest task when it comes to showing what he can do. Origi’s gets limited minutes due to the Reds’ front three and the lack of consistent playing time must make it hard to build up form as well as confidence. The attacker has only played 225 minutes of league action this season across six outings, with four of those appearances being made from the bench (Source: WhoScored), so it should just be considered impressive that he is already off the mark this season. Also while Kewell wants a player at the same level, if not better, than Salah, Mane and Firmino to arrive, that type of player would unlikely be willing to join Liverpool as his first-team chances would be potentially limited. Then there’s the fact that someone who fits the bill would cost at least £100million you feel, and no club spends that on a player who could be stuck on the bench.
