The sale of Luis Suarez was always going to have a big impact for Liverpool as they looked to build from last season’s success. So far, things haven’t gone according to plans at all. Their 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace was their sixth League defeat this season and has left them looking back anxiously behind their shoulders.
One of the main reasons why they have struggled this season has been their lack of goals. Even with some substantial investment in the summer, the Reds aren’t doing very well defensively. While they weren’t particularly great last season as well, the big difference is that last season; they were outscoring the opposition with consummate ease, whereas they have struggled this time around.
Daniel Sturridge’s injury hasn’t helped them at all and the rest of the forwards they have brought in, have struggled to adapt and add something to the side. So recent reports about the club wanting to bring in Divock Origi, the striker they bought in the summer, wasn’t that big a surprise. In fact, considering the lack of quality up front, it was a surprise that they loaned him out in the first place.
But the main problem for the Reds now is that Lille don’t want to let go of the 19-year-old who has been one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise dismal season that sees the club currently occupying 14th place in Ligue 1, just three points off the relegation zone. Although Brendan Rodgers has said that he doesn’t want to reduce the length of the striker’s loan deal and bring him back in January, he might well be forced to.
If Lille are to let go of the Belgian teenager, they need to have a ready-made replacement and this is where Liverpool might be in the middle of a transfer merry-go-round involving Lille and Sunderland.
Although the French club don’t want to part with the 19-year-old striker, they understand that they might not be able to hold onto him until the end of the season, which is precisely why they are reportedly looking at Sunderland striker Jozy Altidore. The 25-year-old American hasn’t featured prominently this season at the Stadium of Light and it looks as though the club wouldn’t mid parting company with a striker who is yet to find the back of the net this season.
Although the Black Cats don’t mind selling the American striker, they would be short of strikers if they do decide to sell Altidore. If that happens, then they are in the market for a striker and one man who would fit perfectly would be Liverpool’s Fabio Borini. The Italian striker, who enjoyed a fruitful loan spell at the Stadium of Light last season, almost moved permanently in the summer, only for negotiations to break down in the end.
The 23-year-old hasn’t had much game time so far this season and it looks as though Rodgers has more faith in another Italian, Mario Balotelli, who has consistently let him down than Borini. With that being the case, the striker would certainly relish the prospect of playing more regularly, which is a guarantee if he moves to Sunderland.
If all three clubs have their way, then their respective front line could look very different in a couple of months. Not only that, but both clubs will also get a player that they want and who wants to play for them. In Origi, the Reds will have a physical presence up front, which they so far lacked this season, Lille will have a player who will suit their style of play and Sunderland will finally have a striker who can score goals.