Divock Origi, the man whose goal secured Liverpool their sixth European Cup, has committed his future to the club by signing a new long-term contract.
Origi, whose left-foot shot gave Liverpool an unassailable 2-0 lead against Tottenham in Madrid last month, had entered the final 12 months of his deal and was the subject of interest from clubs in the Premier League, Spain and China.
Liverpool, however, wanted to reward the contribution he has made in 2019 and did not believe they could afford to let a striker with his qualities leave. Michael Edwards, the club’s sporting director, had been in negotiations with Origi’s advisors and an agreement has now been reached.
The Belgium international, who returned to training on Monday, proved to be Liverpool’s man for the big occasion last season. He scored twice in the remarkable comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final plus last-gasp winners in the Premier League against Everton and Newcastle.
His biggest moment came in the Wanda Metropolitano but Jurgen Klopp believes Origi has got back to the physical levels he displayed during the manager’s first season in 2015-16; Origi became Liverpool’s first-choice striker in that campaign but his progress was unexpectedly halted.
Everton defender Ramiro Funes Mori’s dreadful challenge in a Merseyside derby – for which he was red-carded – had lingering implications but it was only last season that Origi, who spent the 2017-18 campaign on loan at Wolfsburg, began to thrive again.
It is his attitude, though, that has endeared him most to Klopp. It is no easy task for a player to see Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino ahead of them but Origi understands his place within the squad and he will again have a key role to play in the new campaign.
There was an opportunity for him to leave Liverpool last January when Wolves enquired about him, but Origi made the decision to stay and fight to show that he could make a difference and that was handsomely vindicated against Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Liverpool — who play their first pre-season friendly against Tranmere today — have no interest in signing Lille forward Nicolas Pepe. He has been persistently linked with a move to Merseyside this summer but there is no substance to any of the reports about him.
