Liverpool’s current situation up front has prompted discussion of short-term solutions, with an unexpected familiar name now re-entering the conversation.
Fabrizio Romano reported on X that “Divock Origi, available as free agent from January as he’s just signed his contract termination at AC Milan”, adding that the 30-year-old striker was out of AC Milan’s squad and project since summer 2024.
That update immediately lands differently for us given where Liverpool currently find ourselves in his position.
Origi availability comes as Liverpool face striker shortage
Our attacking depth has taken a hit at a critical point of the season.
Alexander Isak has undergone surgery on an ankle injury sustained while scoring against Tottenham, with Liverpool confirming that the striker suffered a fractured fibula and has no return date yet established.
Mo Salah remains away at AFCON, Cody Gakpo is sidelined, and even Jayden Danns is not yet fully fit, leaving Arne Slot light on senior options through the middle.
That context makes the Romano update harder to ignore.
Origi’s most recent competitive football ironically came against Everton in the Premier League, in April 2024.
This was during a loan spell at Nottingham Forest, where he recorded one goal and one assist in 22 appearances, totalling just 754 minutes.
Since then, he’s faced the ignominy of training with the youth teams in Milan and has been nowhere near their first team since June 2023.
Why Origi still matters to Liverpool
Across his Liverpool career from 2015 to 2022, the Belgian made 175 appearances, scoring 41 goals and adding 17 assists, often delivering in moments that shaped seasons.
Jurgen Klopp once summed up his management of Origi perfectly, explaining how the coaching staff decided there was no need for heavy instruction, saying they should simply “let him fly” on the biggest stage of all against Barcelona.
That instinctive trust led to two goals on one of the most famous nights in our history.
A short-term return would not be about sentiment alone.
It would offer minutes, experience, dressing-room calm, potentially a fitting goodbye for a player whose legacy is already secure and a platform to reignite his career.