As per recent reports, Liverpool forward Divock Origi has no intentions of leaving the club in the January transfer window. Even the club is not ready to let him leave until next season.
With only 6 months left in his Liverpool contract, Origi has been under the radar of several different Italian clubs. AC Milan and Atalanta have shown high interests in the player, considering him a perfect replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Luis Muriel respectively.
While the Belgian’s representatives are in talks with other clubs for a mid-season move, the Reds’ current squad depletion have now caused a halt to those plans. The absence of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane due to AFCON, with Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota being injury prone, could all contribute in Origi’s comeback.
Divock Origi at Liverpool
The Genk academy graduate joined Liverpool from Lille in 2014 for a fee of £10 million, but was immediately loaned back. His time at the club has been somewhat dicey with two loan moves.
The player has made a total of 167 appearances for Liverpool, with 40 goals and 16 goals. While the Belgian forward has made most of his appearances off the bench, this season has been pretty decent for him with 5 goals and 2 assists from 10 appearances across all competitions. (stats via TRANSFERMARKT)
During his time at the club, the 26-years-old striker has won the Premier League, the Champions League, a FIFA Club World Cup and a Super Cup. His biggest contribution for the club was his brace against FC Barcelona in the 2018/19 UCL Semi-Final. Being 3-0 down in the first leg, Liverpool had no hopes of a comeback. Origi’s opener and the late winner will surely live in legend, as the team made a 4-0 comeback to win the semi-final tie. The Reds further went on to win the final against Tottenham Hotspur, where the Belgium international scored again.
Why Klopp should hold on to Origi for a bit longer
With the current Covid-19 scenario, there is no certainty of when a player is tested positive with the virus. A recent breakout in the team’s camp has also led to multiple fixture postponements. Therefore, Liverpool are expected to have a busy schedule coming ahead.
Adding on to the issue is the absence of Mo and Mane due to AFCON duties. As a result, Jurgen Klopp will surely look to play Origi much more often. The player who has struggled to break in the starting-11 will now get significant playing time. The Belgian could now very well prove himself worthy of a contract extension.
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