Divock Origi has survived the Liverpool axe a number of times over the years. The Belgian has found himself repeatedly linked with a Reds exit summer after summer, only to find himself still at Anfield each time the transfer window closed.
Linking up with Liverpool in the summer of 2015, after a £10m deal with Lille was agreed the summer before, the striker initially impressed following Jurgen Klopp ’s appointment before injury derailed his progress. A disappointing loan to VfL Wolfsburg followed in 2017/18 and he has pretty much been linked with a permanent exit every year ever since.
However, the Reds didn’t receive any suitable offers that summer and Origi remained at the club, on the fringes of the first team as he recorded just 11 minutes of action during the first four months of the 2018/19 campaign. But brought in from the cold in spectacular style in December 2018 with his famous last-minute Merseyside derby winner against Everton, the striker would revive his Anfield fortunes, as Champions League heroics later that season against Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur earned him a new contract.
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Such exploits haven’t seen the 26-year-old progress beyond being a significant bit-part player for Liverpool though, and they have been open to offers ever since for his services ever since. Perhaps the coronavirus pandemic would stand in the way of any Reds exit as, despite initial interest, suitable offers for Origi remained lacking, much to the surprise of Klopp.
Yet with his contract set to expire in 2022, it looks like the Liverpool cult hero’s rollercoaster Reds career might finally be coming to an end. The latest reports suggest he has agreed terms on a switch to AC Milan and will leave Anfield on a Bosman transfer in the summer. Even if such a move is not forthcoming, he looks certain to depart the club regardless.
Liverpool do have an option on Origi’s contract to extend his deal by a further year, but seemingly won’t deny him a belated exit after so many seasons on the fringes. Besides, limited game-time might mean he has not played enough to exercise such a clause anyway.
He has played his part for the Reds this year despite a lack of minutes, scoring five goals as Klopp’s side chase an unprecedented quadruple. However, he has made just five substitute appearances in the Premier League, started only five of his 14 outings in all competitions and dropped to seventh in the attacking pecking order following Luis Diaz’s arrival.
There is a willingness at Anfield to allow Origi to depart and prove his abilities elsewhere. Having shone sporadically on the brightest stages for Liverpool, he deserves the opportunity to showcase such talents more consistently and on a more regular basis elsewhere.
Having seen a mixture of low bids and lack of offers result in him staying put year after year, the Reds will now reluctantly concede defeat in trying to bring in a fee for the striker as he looks to move on as a free agent. Yet players moving on Bosman transfers at the end of their contracts has been a growing theme in recent years and it’s one Liverpool need to be wary of.
Origi, Loris Karius, James Milner and Adrian are currently all poised for such possible exits this summer, with the Belgian and the German set to join an ever-growing list of Reds players leaving for nothing after being signed for significant fees. In the Klopp era alone Mario Balotelli, Jose Enrique, Lazar Markovic, Emre Can, Daniel Sturridge, Alberto Moreno, Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Lallana and Gini Wijnaldum have all left the club on free transfers after their own big-money moves to Anfield.
While you can’t dispute the departure of most of these players, including Origi and Karius, Liverpool have spent a combined £154m when signing them and then banked nothing when they left. Tears might not be shed at the duo departing on Bosmans, but it’ll be a different story in the summer of 2023.
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's contracts all expire next year, leaving them free to discuss pre-contract agreements with overseas clubs in January. To date, there has been limited movement on them staying put at Anfield.
It has been well-publicised that the Egyptian and the Reds are yet to agree terms on a new deal, with the player’s agent making it clear he currently has no intention of signing the offer on the table. Meanwhile, Klopp has spoken publicly of his desire for Keita to sign a new contract, but the futures of the quintet, admittedly some more than others, remains uncertain.
Should all five leave for free in 2023 - admittedly an unlikely prospect - it would take the total spend on players later lost for free to roughly £350m. Should Thiago Alcantara then suffer similar treatment when his own contract expires a year later, it’ll stand at around £375m.
Such players have more than paid back their transfer fees on the pitch, helping Liverpool win the Premier League, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, League Cup and European Super Cup to date, with Kopites no doubt hopeful that such a haul will be bolstered this season at least.
But it leaves the Reds in a delicate position when it comes to strengthening their squad in the future. Sure it might help getting wages off the books to make space for new signings, but Bosman exits mean no incoming big-money transfer fees to enhance a Liverpool war-chest.
Prize money from winning tournaments, sponsorship deals and TV deals will still ensure the Reds still boast healthy returns, even if such success leads to a knock-on effect of higher wages and bigger bonuses to the current squad. But there can be no denying how receiving £142m for Philippe Coutinho, £50m for Fernando Torres or £49m for Raheem Sterling softened the blow of their controversial exits, and opened the door for Liverpool to reinvest in the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Luis Suarez and Firmino.
Big-name players departing on free transfers has admittedly become a growing trend in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The likes of Wijnaldum, Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, David Alaba, Sergio Aguero and Gianluigi Donnarumma all moved on at the end of their contracts last summer, with Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba and Paulo Dybala - a player Salah has been linked to replace at Juventus - three of the most high-profile names set to follow in their footsteps this year.
Liverpool might be able to stomach Origi also making such a switch come the end of the season, but club bosses face a big decision when it comes to deciding the futures of Salah, Mane and co. Should new contracts not be agreed, they either reluctantly sell this summer or keep hold of them for a final season before waving them off at the end of their existing deals.
Neither scenario is ideal and will inevitably divide opinions behind the scenes at Anfield and in the Liverpool fanbase. After all, while an Origi exit is one which may be given a fairly universal blessing in the circumstances, the same clearly cannot be said for Salah.
As a result, Reds insiders must decide whether they want to be the ones to break this latest, rather uncomfortable, market trend. Divock Origi will walk through the Bosman exit door this summer. With the likes of Salah and Mane still facing uncertain Anfield futures, it’s up to Liverpool bosses if the Belgian closes it behind him.
