Should Divock Origi stay at Liverpool in 2021?
The Belgian is responsible for the creation of some of Liverpool’s finest moments in recent history. His name will remain in the hearts of Kopites across the world for time immemorial, but is it time for the Belgian to explore a different path?
Origi has always been a player for squad depth, with Jurgen Klopp often relying on him for a late equaliser. Out of his 92 Premier League appearances, 60 of them have been as a substitute.
However, in the 2020/21 season, the 25-year-old has barely been utilised. Divock Origi has been on the pitch for just one minute of Premier League football, which was in the club’s most recent victory against Leicester City.
His only two starts this season have been in games where Jurgen Klopp could have afforded to play the B-team, with all due respect. His first start was against Lincoln City, in the third round of the EFL Cup where his performance was substandard, despite the goal he scored.
A month later he started against FC Midtjylland at Anfield in a comfortable 2-0 win for the Reds. Yet again, Origi didn’t impress and often looked like he didn’t fit into the team.
The Belgian’s only other appearance this season was against Arsenal in the fourth round of the EFL Cup against Arsenal. The game marked one of the lowest moments in his Liverpool career as he missed a penalty, which if he scored, would have taken the Reds to the next round.
More than the penalty miss, the manner in which Origi reacted to the same outraged Liverpool fans. It marked the start of Kopites starting to think about a potential exit for him in the upcoming January transfer window.
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It’d be ungrateful to force Divock out of the club, given everything he’s done for us. Whether it be the Champions League final, humiliating Jordan Pickford, or most memorably the double against Barcelona at Anfield, Origi has gifted us moments which simply cannot be forgotten.
Nonetheless, for the sake of his career growth, a move elsewhere is exactly what he should look for. Given that he has fallen far behind the likes of Diogo Jota, Takumi Minamino, and Xherdan Shaqiri as a reserve for the front three, Divock is unlikely to revive his career at Liverpool.
In May 2020, Goal reported that Divock Origi was optimistic of improving under Klopp.
"He said: “Klopp has given me the space to develop myself. I always listen to my instinct and continue to work. We have spoken with Liverpool and we have a nice course ahead of us.”"
This doesn’t seem as likely anymore. Despite him signing a five-year contract in 2019, Liverpool will be on the lookout for prospective suitors. Voetbal 24 reported that Club Brugge could be interested in signing Origi in January.
His options won’t be limited though as clubs across Europe’s top divisions will be interested in the 25-year-old who has a natural eye for goal. We will miss his knack for goals, his composure while bagging those goals, and his ice-like celebrations. Nevertheless, it is time for him to go.