Liverpool bound Divock Origi has the world at his feet

Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have all been linked with a move for Lille’s Divock Origi in recent weeks, and on Wednesday evening it was reported that Liverpool had stolen a march on the other Premier League suitors and were close to completing a deal worth around €10 million for the 19-year-old.

Liverpool are closing in on a deal for Belgium international Divock Origi. Spurs are also interested but Liverpool lead the race.

— Tony Barrett (@TonyBarretTimes) June 25, 2014

The deal would see the Belgian World Cup star return to Lille on loan for the rest of the season, and by spending money now, Liverpool stop the risk of his price jumping up in 12 months time. Origi was a suprise call-up to the Belgium national team, but given the chance he has flourish in Brazil and scored the winning goal in the 1-0 win against Russia. He has done so well that he could be in the starting XI for the game against South Korea on Thursday afternoon.

Young Origi was one of the players picked in this year’s #Le50 list; here is what FFW had to say about the player in March:

It is the moment you dream about as a kid: your team goes behind at home while you sit on the bench watching the play develop. Then the coach calls you and says you are about to make your first-team debut. You have 20 minutes to make an impact and become the hero. For 17-year-old Lille striker Divock Origi, that dream became a reality last season against Troyes when he took only six minutes to head home his first ever senior goal, ghosting in at the back post to head in Dimitri Payet’s cross.

Origi had been pushing for first-team football for most of the 2012-13 season but Rudi Garcia had seemed reluctant to give the young Belgian his chance, a risk that nearly saw Origi follow in the footsteps of VfL Wolfsburg midfielder Junior Malanda, and leave northern France for a chance at first-team football.

When one looks at Origi’s performances this season it seems ridiculous that Lille would have even given the youngster a chance to leave without making his mark on the club. Opening the season with a home match against FC Lorient, it was Origi who got the winning campaign underway, latching onto Marvin Martin’s well-weighted pass as he calmly slotted the ball past Fabien Audard. It promised to be a breakout season for the son of Kenyan international Mike Origi, but new Lille boss, René Girard, has treated Origi Junior with kid gloves, giving him enough games to keep him happy and let him develop, but not too much to burn out the now 18-year-old.

Before becoming part of the first-team the young Belgian was a stand-out member of the Lille Under-19 side, many saying he was head and shoulders above everyone else in his age group. He found it hard to shine on the bumpy pitches that the CFA side played on most weeks, especially at the Stade Annexe next door to the ground in which Lille won the 2011 title.

Origi is an impressive physical specimen. He is tall with a very rangy stride, but his height and strong lanky legs don’t affect his pace. When he opens up, his speed and strength are difficult to match, going past defenders almost at will. The stronger full-backs he beats with pace, the smaller quicker players he uses his size to get past. He is blessed with all the raw attributes of a very promising striker.

On the ball he possesses a thunderous right foot, and when you watch in training you can see how devastating his shooting ability could be; we are yet to see the full extent of the damage he is capable of on the pitch. You can see that Origi knows what he wants to do, but sometimes he can be Bambi-esque in his execution. He still needs to improve his decision-making throughout his game. Once he learns when to make the right pass, and where and when to make the right run, he will become a vital part of the Lille attack.

Sometimes he gets caught taking up the same position as one of him teammates, be it Salomon Kalou when he drifts wide or Nolan Roux when he makes his runs in behind. The positive is that he does have the sense to make the runs in the first place; the timing will come with experience.

While Rudi Garcia was reluctant to let Origi shine in the first-team, now René Girard has given the striker his chance, the Lille fans have a new Belgian forward on whom  to pin their hopes and dreams.

He has the opportunity, he has the ability, and he has a club willing to nurture his excellent potential. It is now up to Origi whether he wants to follow in the footsteps of Eden Hazard, or follow his friend Malanda and jump ship before he can fully blossom.

FFW saw it coming #Origi #bel http://t.co/Jiqn3wOsRp pic.twitter.com/Y8dEGjO6pV — FFW (@FrenchFtWeekly) June 22, 2014

If the deal is structured properly, Lille could do very well from this situation. There would have to be a sell on fee arranged, hopefully meaning the French club could recoup another €3-5 million at some point down the line.

Their yearly finances have already been agreed by the DNCG, so any money gained could go on improving the playing staff before the Champions League qualifiers. Liverpool would also benefit from their new striker gaining valuable experience in Europe’s main competition.

Lille wouldn’t also need to go and buy a replacement, they could take their time and make sure they were able to pick the right person in 12 months time.

The move makes business sense, but unfortunately it is another young player leaving Ligue 1 too soon. However, in the current climate, Lille cannot say no to €10 million, and Liverpool are in a strong position to buy.