Four players Liverpool should replace Divock Origi with in January

Liverpool’s attacking depth

Liverpool would have a fairly quiet summer transfer window, with Ibrahima Konate the only senior incoming at Anfield.

However, whilst Konate does seem like a very solid buy who should only continue to improve, Liverpool fans were likely hoping for a little more.

The emergence of Harvey Elliot has, for now at least, looked to have negated the need to sign a replacement for the now PSG star, Georginio Wijnaldum.

But if there was one area that Liverpool likely needed to improve upon, especially this season, it was their attacking options.

Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota are all excellent choices to have. However, outside of this quartet, Liverpool’s attacking options are pretty subpar.

Divock Origi, despite his previous Champions League heroics, has shown he is not good enough to be a regular feature for a top-six side, whilst Takumi Minamino has struggled since his arrival in England.

Despite this, Liverpool are likely going to be forced into using the pair a fair bit in the winter months when the African Cup of Nations comes around and both Salah and Mane depart.

Jamie Carragher has already expressed his disappointment at Liverpool not bringing in anyone better than Origi or Minamino to reinforce Liverpool’s attack:

Players Liverpool should replace Origi with

So, in order to not have to use said duo too much when Mane and Salah leave for around a month, Liverpool probably should be looking to add some fresh legs to their forward line in January.

The AFCON does not begin until January 9th, so the Reds do have some time to bring in reinforcements before losing their key men.

And, at 101, we have picked out four players who Liverpool should sign to replace Origi and potentially Minamino in January.

Danilo, Ajax

The first player Liverpool should look to in order to replace Divock Origi is Ajax forward, Danilo.

Danilo, 22, would be signed up by Ajax in August of 2017 from Brazilian outfit Santos for a fee believed to be around £1.8m.

Still only a teenager when brought to the Dutch capital, Danilo would enjoy spells in Ajax’s under-19 and under-21 sides where he notched his fair share of goals and assists.

Then, this past campaign, the Brazilian would be loaned out to fellow Eredivisie outfit, FC Twente.

Danilo enjoyed a solid loan spell at De Grolsch Veste, hitting 17 goals and five assists in 33 league outings.

The forward has since returned to Ajax but has only been used sparingly so far this term, perhaps suggesting that Ajax could be open to a sale in January.

As for his positioning, Danilo has spent the majority of his career being used a centre-forward, though he has played on either wing on occasion.

But with Diogo Jota on Liverpool’s books already, it would not be that hard to fit both into Liverpool’s front-three as the Portuguese is accomplished on the left-wing as well as up top.

Federico Chiesa, Juventus

The next pick is perhaps someone outlandish, but is still certainly someone who Liverpool should be looking at.

Federico Chiesa would be signed by Juventus from Fiorentina in October of 2020.

The 23-year-old went on to enjoy a very respectable debut campaign in Turin, which saw him net 15 goals and provide 11 assists in 45 outings.

Chiesa then had a starring Euro 2020, netting two crucial goals en route to Italy winning the tournament.

The Italian is a right-winger by trade, but he is very versatile and would likely do a job in any of Liverpool’s front-three spots.

One of the main issues with Chiesa, though, would likely be his price, with reports over the summer suggesting Juve rejected an £85m offer from Chelsea:

Adama Traore, Wolves

Regular watchers of the Premier League are of course likely very familiar with Adama Traore.

The Spaniard is one of the most entertaining yet frustrating figures to watched in the league at present.

The Spaniard would complete a staggering 160 dribbles in the PL last term, nearly double the amount of 2nd place Marcus Rashford who completed 88.

Traore also topped the stats for most players dribbled past in 2020/21, beating his man on 173 occasions. Again, for comparison, 2nd place Marcus Rashford managed to dribble past his man 94 times this past season.

And, under new boss Bruno Lage, Traore has once again looked a real threat this season so far as well.

However, the major factor stopping Traore from becoming a truly top talent is, and has been since his move to England, his end product.

But Jurgen Klopp is probably one of the few coaches in the PL, as well as Pep Guardiola, who you would back to get the very best out of Traore and help improve his end product.

The only issue is if Liverpool would be willing to take the gamble on the Spaniard.

Antony, Ajax

The final player Liverpool should target to help replace Origi and Minamino is Antony.

The 21-year-old linked up with Dutch powerhouse, Ajax, in July of 2020, departing Sau Paulo for around £14m.

Antony has since gone on to light up both the Eredivisie and Champions League with his electrifying pace and dazzling skills.

In total, he has scored 11 and assisted 10 in 48 outings for the Dutch powerhouse.

One of the potential drawbacks with Antony is that he is very one-footed, favouring his left a great deal.

This is not necessarily too much of an issue for Liverpool, however, as Antony is a right-winger so he should have no issues cutting inside and adding goals from the flank in a similar way to Mo Salah, who is also not that strong on his right foot.

And as well as providing an upgrade on Minamino and Origi now, the Brazilian could, if he continues to develop well, end up proving to be a long-term replacement for Salah.