Premier League Rumors: Former Liverpool Player Feels Reds Will Regret Passing Up Werner

Timo Werner has headed to Chelsea, thanks to the efforts of Blues manager Frank Lampard. Liverpool was the other team close to snagging the German striker, but Lampard went out of his way and took on a secret mission to seal the deal.

It can be recalled that Liverpool virtually bowed out of the race, paving the way for the Blues to get a clear path to the 24-year-old striker.

For former Liverpool player Michael Owen, that could be a move that the Reds may regret at some point. Though critics feel that it makes no sense to add another striker, Owen believes that not having a reliable backup for Roberto Firmino may come back to haunt them later on.

Divock Origi started for Liverpool in the win over Aston Villa, 2-0. But the 40-year-old former striker pointed out how the Belgian struggled in that match, eventually getting replaced by Firmino at the hour mark. The Reds played better from there.

Now, Owen has questioned if Liverpool had the right players in the mix. Origi and Takumi Minamino signed new deals with the Reds for next season, but critics don't seem confident with the move by Jurgen Klopp and company.

He also singled out Origi as potentially the main reason why Liverpool opted to pass on Werner and place their bet on the Belgian.

"[Origi and Minamino] 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, Liverpool were loyal to him, weren’t they?" Owen told Premier League Productions (via Goal.com).

Owen also implied that part of the reason could be Origi's performance in the Champions League, something that may have swayed the Reds to give him a new deal rather than spend heavily on Werner.

"He’d done what he’d done [in the Champions League] and all of a sudden 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," he continued.

Owen insisted that Werner could have been the perfect fit for Liverpool.

"Timo Werner was a player that Liverpool was linked to and he’s eventually gone to Chelsea. I think that type of player would have been brilliant for Liverpool," Owen continued.

"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," he added.

Though it was not mentioned, the financial status of the Reds could have also factored in, forcing Klopp to find a solution to the hefty price needed to reel the German in. Also worth noting is that the Reds do have an amiable cast, raising concerns on how Werner could fit into the system of Klopp.