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Change in coach prompts slump in Liverpool loanee Divock Origi's fortunes at Wolfsburg

Divock Origi's loan stint at Wolfsburg from Liverpool is not going as planned. The Belgian is not enjoying regular first-team starts.

By Prashanth Kumar
Divock Origi of Wolfsburg, on loan from Liverpool (Image: Twitter)

Bengaluru, April 2: Young Belgian striker Divock Origi showed a lot of promise in Liverpool but his disastrous loan stint at Vfl Wolfsburg could prompt the Merseyside club to sell him in the summer transfer window. Origi, 22, moved to the Bundesliga to gain more playing time. However, a change in the coach appears to be the reason for his downfall. While ex-Coach Martin Schmidt trusted Origi and had him as the main man upfront, Bruno Labbadia, his replacement, has shifted Origi to the right.

Consequently, Origi is still trying to find his lost rhythm in the Bundesliga. The Ex-Lille star was signed for £10 million by Liverpool in the summer transfer window of 2014 and loaned back to Lille OSC for a season.

A year after becoming an adult, Origi joined the Merseyside and scored a marvellous hat-trick against Southampton in a 6-1 away win for the Reds in the quarterfinal of League Cup in 2015. He also scored five Premier League goals in his 16 appearances, mostly as a substitute, during the 2015-16 season.

Origi struggled with his form the next season, managing only 11 goals in 43 appearances. The Belgian had issues in maintaining his goal-scoring consistency and could not string a few good performances together and often blew hot and cold.

With Roberto Firmino as the main attacker and Englishman Daniel Sturridge playing second fiddle, Origi was reduced to a third-choice striker at Liverpool. Manager Jurgen Klopp could not promise him regular first-team appearances for the club at the start of the 2017-18 season with the addition of Dominique Solanke and the impending return of Danny Ings.

However, keeping in mind the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Origi decided to move to VfL Wolfsburg on loan for more playing time. The Wolves were ready to pay a £6m loan fee, besides covering his wages. Considering the fact that Liverpool paid £10m to get him, the loan deal has helped them recoup most of the investment.

The beginning in the Bundesliga was fantastic for Origi. He opened his account for them in his third match and scored four goals in nine league matches. He was even voted as Bundesliga rookie of the month for November. However, this proved to be a false dawn as he scored only a goal in his next 18 appearances for Wolfsburg.

The dip in form coincided with the arrival of the new coach Labbadia at Wolfsburg, who played Origi on the right wing. Recently, Origi was substituted in the 42nd minute against Hoffenheim in their 0-3 thrashing. Origi came on in the 88th minute against FC Schalke on March 17 and made another substitute appearance in the 0-0 draw with Hertha Berlin last week.

It is safe to say his time in Germany is not going to improve his chances of a return at Liverpool. With him being dropped from the Belgium national team, the loan move appears unsuccessful for Origi.

At Liverpool, his contract will expire in the summer of 2019. With most of his transfer money recouped, it is expected that Klopp will sell him this summer. With clubs like Newcastle United interested in Origi, Liverpool can demand something in the region of £10m for the Belgian, which invariably is a tidy profit on the 22-year-old.

Story first published: Monday, April 2, 2018, 16:36 [IST]
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