Liverpool’s Divock Origi Pursuit Gives Lille a Massive Dilemma in January

The future of Divock Origi is a debate that is set to run all the way up until the transfer window finally closes at the end of January. The only way it will stop before then is if Liverpool get their man ahead of schedule.

Part of his £10 million move from Lille included the clause that he would spend the season at the club that developed him. At that point no one at the club envisioned how toothless Liverpool would become in front of goal.

Losing Luis Suarez to Barcelona was predictable, but the injury to Daniel Sturridge was an even heavier blow. Signing Mario Balotelli for £16 million was a gamble that hasn’t paid off and Rickie Lambert can only watch from the bench as the Reds have only scored 14 goals from the first 11 games.

However, Liverpool fans should count themselves lucky as Lille’s current form sees them sit in 14th position with the worst goalscoring record in Ligue 1.

All three sides in the Ligue 1 relegation zone have scored more goals than Lille this season, with Les Dogues only managing nine goals in 13 games. This is not a slight on Origi, but Liverpool are chasing a striker who is a member of the worst strike force in the league.

Last season Origi ended the season with five league goals. He was the only player in Ligue 1 under 21 years old who achieved this, so to suddenly expect him to become a 15-goal striker overnight would be nothing more than fantasy.

His three goals and one assist show progression, but the concern is over how much he will actually develop in a side that is no longer looking like a positive, free-flowing attacking unit.

Liverpool fans watching Divock Origi’s performance against Everton at Goodison Park may have been left scratching their head as to why they spent £10 million on the Belgian forward this summer.

To appreciate just how good the player can be, you have to look closely and take note of his movement, pace, power and understand that there is only so much he can do when the players around him are nowhere near the same standard.

Considering the way Lille are playing this season, and the players Origi has to look to for experience and guidance, staying in northern France until June could end up setting back his development rather than making him a well-rounded forward.

Against Everton, Origi failed to make any positive impact on the game, but it is far from the fault of the 19-year-old attacker. The belief amongst the Lille fans is that this is one of the worst sides they have fielded for the best part of eight years – something which is backed up by their record this season.

Losing Salomon Kalou, although he clearly had his flaws, took away intelligence and a goalscoring instinct from the Lille attack. The Ivorian often made runs down the channels, and at times he would run the ball into a dead end, but he still asked questions of the opposition’s defence.

Too often he showed an air of nonchalance, he wasn’t quite a team player and lacked an understanding of how to link up with his teammates. But what Kalou did add was a distraction that would help Origi find space.

Now, beside the likes of Michael Frey, Ryan Mendes and Nolan Roux, the onus is on Origi to get the ball and generate chances. Frey has looked very poor since his move from Young Boys of Berne this summer, and he is adding nothing of any note in the attack.

When players have ability and are looking to develop their game, they need to be surrounded by players who are going to inspire and encourage them. This season, Lille are lacking anyone of quality to help Origi take his game to the next level.

Away on international duty with Belgium, Origi brushed off his club’s poor form to score against Iceland on Wednesday and it seems like a premature move to Liverpool would suit not only the English club, but also the player, as Origi seems to have one eye on a January return.

“Maybe January, who knows? It is not me who makes the decisions but if the club choose to let me go in January I would go. I would like to join Liverpool then. I said that I would stay for the whole season and I wish to remain honourable in that, of course, but if there was a decision by the clubs, I would not say that I would not like to go to Liverpool in January.

“Brendan Rodgers is in contact regularly. That makes me feel very good and wanted. And although I agreed to stay with Lille until the end of this season, if there was a chance of joining Liverpool sooner I would take it.

“I would love to move to Liverpool sooner rather than later. I am here at Lille, it is fine, they are a good club and they have helped me. But it is also frustrating. It is French football. I can’t wait to be playing in the Premier League because I can now see that it will suit me better.”

Liverpool may look to offer Lille some compensation to allow Origi to move earlier, but they are never going to be able to offer enough to help the French side sign enough players to make them a competitive top five club.

For Lille to let Origi leave in January would all but launch them into a relegation battle this season. Currently, they are only four points away from the bottom three. Lille are already shy in front of goal; letting go a striker who has been involved in nearly half of their goals this season would be close to football suicide.

On the other hand, Origi’s performances have lacked any sort of consistency this season. Too often his head has looked elsewhere and he looks like a player who is mentally already playing his football at Anfield.

If Lille are not going to get the best out of Origi, and the player is going to stagnate before he moves to Liverpool this summer, maybe it isn’t the worst possible move for Lille to gain some more capital from their 19-year-old striker and sanction the move earlier than agreed.

This is one of the toughest decisions coach René Girard and the Lille board have had to make in recent years. Usually they are selling from a position of power; now they have to decide whether or not Origi is the man to fire them to a position of safety.

Origi is Lille’s best chance of scoring goals this season, but that says more about the failings of his teammates than the performances of the Belgian forward. Letting him go could be a disaster for Les Dogues, but letting him stay might not be the best solution.