West Ham may have missed a trick as mooted summer target Divock Origi continued his fine recent form this week...

What was the word?

Throughout the transfer window, the Liverpool fringe star was linked with a switch to the London Stadium, with one of the most reliable Irons insiders talking up their interest.

According to ExWHUemployee back in early August, the hardly-seen 29-cap Belgian forward was a potential target for David Moyes late in the summer but ultimately, the east Londoners would not go onto sign any striker whatsoever.

One that got away?

With Jurgen Klopp needing to rotate his Reds' side, Origi has been gifted some rare opportunities to impress.

The £10.8m-rated frontman started and provided an assist in their Champions League group stage win over AC Milan and then scored and assisted against Norwich City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening.

As explained by Football FanCast after the match, Origi was a real star of the show for Klopp and the Merseyside giants - not only did he contribute on the scoresheet but he also turned provider, also creating two key passes.

West Ham's need for frontline additions is no secret. They have been without depth in the position since last January when the Hammers hierarchy sanctioned the exit of club-record flop Sebastien Haller to Ajax.

It left Moyes with a historically injury-prone Michail Antonio, who on his day is certainly one of the best finishers in the English top-flight, but he cannot do it all and he definitely cannot do it all across as many as four competitions.

He needs a rest from time to time, especially given his sketchy injury record.

Perhaps Origi was the solution they were crying out for.

Last week, Klopp revealed his shock at the lack of interest in his backup forward. He told BT Sport (via Sky Sports):

"[Divock] played a beautiful game. People forget how good he is, it's difficult to get into this team.

"In the summer transfer window we all thought there would be a proper offer for him, but obviously people don't watch football enough. He's a sensational striker and he did really well today."

Once hailed as a "monster" by Man City legend Vincent Kompany, it certainly seems as if the Irons were one of the teams to miss out on the untapped exploits of the forgotten Liverpool striker this summer.

AND in other news, Moyes has played a blinder over "unplayable" West Ham gem, his value has increased 50%...