Pros and Cons for Liverpool Recall of Divock Origi from Lille in January

Liverpool's struggles over the majority of the current season have been in part down to their inability to create and finish off enough goalscoring chances, certainly when compared to last season, leading to talk that they may bring back young Belgian striker Divock Origi in January.

James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo reports that the Reds are looking to pay French Ligue 1 side Lille an extra fee to secure the early return of the on-loan forward, who was due to spend the entirety of the current campaign at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Bringing back Origi early is an attractive idea on the face of things, as he'd give Liverpool more attacking options, but there is much more to consider for Brendan Rodgers and the transfer committee regarding whether the move would really benefit both club and player.

In favour

Easy one first: It's another name for Rodgers to call upon for any given matchday squad, another attacking option to call off the bench and plenty more pace and power for the final third, something Liverpool have lacked at times with Daniel Sturridge out injured.

Recently the Reds had three forwards—Rickie Lambert, Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini—on the bench for one match...but only a few weeks back, all three plus Sturridge were missing or unavailable.

Simply put, that quartet has not provided Liverpool with as many goals as they have needed this season for a variety of reasons, and adding a new, young face to the squad at least gives the possibility of improvement.

Michel Spingler/Associated Press

For Origi himself, he'll get an extra few months to acclimatise to the Premier League ahead of a "true" start next season, when he'd be expected to contribute more. He'll also be able to learn about playing with his new team-mates, settle into a place to live and deal with any other off-field issues.

"

Nobody in France can believe Liverpool are set to throw another €6m at Origi. Talented kid but nowhere near ready to be regular #LFC starter

— Matt Spiro (@mattspiro) January 5, 2015"

It could also be a case that he wants to get himself out of a bit of a toxic environment: Disappointed perhaps that he is departing for pastures new, Lille fans have targeted Origi at times this term after poor results and a lack of goals. A new start and a new set of supporters could revitalise the Belgian international.

Against

Similarly, there are plenty of reasons why the move might not be such a good idea at this time.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

For starters, Chris Beesley of the Echo reported that Origi suffered a minor groin strain in a recent cup match and requires a scan, though the injury isn't thought to be too bad.

There is also the extra money to take into account.

At £10 million, the summer purchase was a reasonably priced, young international talent, well worth nurturing for a further year elsewhere without the risk of increasing his fee. Paying another £3 million or perhaps as much as £6 million would imbalance the risk/reward further and would create greater expectations around the player—he'd essentially cost the same as Mario Balotelli.

"

No real breakthrough in Liverpool's attempts to recruit Origi this month. Lille are seeking a bigger premium than Liverpool willing to pay.

— Tony Barrett (@TonyBarretTimes) January 5, 2015"

Expectation itself is a key issue. Liverpool need goals, but it's not as if Origi is banging them in this term. He has three goals in Ligue 1 in 1,221 minutes of play according to WhoScored.com, with one additional goal in the Europa League.

There is still a case for his being better utilised at present as a wide attacker rather than a central leader—the position Liverpool really need to fill—and there is a danger fans would expect the 19-year-old to hit the ground running, perhaps netting half-a-dozen over the course of the rest of the season.

Of course he could do it, even as an impact option off the bench, but this season's form doesn't suggest that he immediately will.

January

What Liverpool need most of all in January is to get Sturridge back fit. Depending on the medical assessment of his expected return, there may be no real need to recall the Belgian, especially if it is going to raise his overall cost by around 50 percent.

The Reds are only playing with one striker in the most recent tactical alteration, Rodgers' 3-4-2-1, and Raheem Sterling has shown he is capable of being the No. 9 in Sturridge's absence if the service is right.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Stopping goals at the other end should be the next concern, whether that is with a new goalkeeper—Brad Jones is injured, and Simon Mignolet was horrendously error-strewn before being dropped—or a top-quality centre-back.

Recalling Origi going forward would be positive but shouldn't be regarded as a priority for the club. He's not totally ready to be the team's saviour, and there would be far too much pressure on him to deliver that way if he was the only arrival in January, especially with the club forking out millions more just to bring him in four months early.

Should he return, both the player and the supporters should look upon the next few months as a bedding-in period only, with any goals and exciting performances being mere bonuses rather than indications of what should be on show every week or excuses to moan about why he left on loan in the first place.

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