Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen believes the club chose not to swoop for German striker Timo Werner due to having Divock Origi among their ranks - but thinks they will live to regret the decision.
The Reds were strongly linked with Werner, who scored 28 goals in the Bundesliga this season for RB Leipzig, but eventually lost out to Chelsea, with the player signing for the Blues in a £53m deal.
With Liverpool already boasting a hugely impressive attack which features the likes of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, some believe they did not necessarily need to splash out on Werner, particularly when they have Origi as a backup.
But the Belgian forward struggled to make an impression in a rare start during Liverpool's uninspiring 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday, and speaking to Premier League Productions Owen stated his concerns about their options next season.
"Will Origi and Takumi Minamino be there next season? Yes they will," Owen said. "Origi’s just signed a new contract and Minamino’s only just signed. They are there and they’re fixed but that doesn’t mean you can’t question whether they should be.
"Origi signing a new long-term deal was almost Liverpool…they were loyal to him weren’t they?
"He’d done what he’d done [in the Champions League] and all of a sudden they they thought he’s done that so you have to give them a new contract. That’s now prevented them from going and spending big money on a back-up striker.
"Timo Werner was obviously a player that Liverpool were linked to and he’s eventually gone to Chelsea. I think that type of player would have been brilliant for Liverpool.
"They signed Origi on a long-term contract that virtually ruled out a back-up striker and I’m not sure that they don’t need a better one."
Origi will be hoping he is given another chance to impress when Liverpool take on Brighton on Wednesday.
