Liverpool’s Belgian forward Divock Origi has emerged as a shock target for La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid. Diego Simeone is keenly interested in signing Chelsea striker Diego Costa but the deal has stalled. With the deal not going through, Atletico have turned their attention towards Divock Origi. Simeone is a big fan of Origi and believes that the Belgian will fit Atletico’s style of play perfectly.
Divock Origi came into the limelight during the 2013/14 season while playing for Lille in Ligue 1. At the end of the 2013/14 season, Liverpool signed him. He was just 19 then and so Brendan Rodgers sent him back to Lille on a year-long loan deal. But everything started going wrong for the Belgian and football pundits labelled him as the most overhyped player in Ligue 1. Origi endured a poor season and Rodgers recalled him for the 2015/16 season.
Last summer, Rodgers also signed Christian Benteke and Danny Ings to bolster Liverpool’s attack. But Christian Benteke had a very tough season and he was just a shadow of the Benteke from Aston Villa. Danny Ings was unfortunately sidelined for the complete season after suffering an injury in October. Daniel Sturridge missed a lot of matches owing to injuries. All this meant that Divock Origi got his chance to start up-front for Liverpool. And Origi took full advantage of the chances that he got.
In 16 appearances in the Premier League last season, Origi scored 5 goals and registered 1 assist. The turning point for Origi last season was the 6-1 away win at Southampton in the League Cup where he scored a hat-trick. Origi’s performances since then have been excellent. Origi started making regular appearances for the Reds in the Premier League. In matches against top teams, Origi was given the nod ahead of Daniel Sturridge. Origi’s confidence kept on growing and his performance level increased. Liverpool faced Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League quarterfinals and Origi started ahead of Sturridge in both the legs. It was Origi who ignited Liverpool’s comeback in the 2nd leg.
Origi is a young, confident striker who can go places under Klopp. Origi is composed with the ball at his feet and he likes to play the quick one-touch passing game. Origi does not hesitate in taking shots at the goal from distance. He has great accuracy and has a strong right foot. Also, Origi is pacey and he makes good runs. With Coutinho at his back, Origi gets the best passes and through balls to convert them into goals. At 6’2″, Origi has a towering presence in the box and provides potency to Liverpool’s set pieces.
Klopp is a big fan of the Belgian and knows that Origi can become one of the best in the world. There are some areas where Origi needs to improve and under Klopp he can become a deadly striker. Liverpool should do everything that they can to keep hold of Origi. Liverpool should not sell him to Atletico Madrid. Origi has the potential of becoming one of the best and Klopp can exploit this potential to its fullest.