Opinion: Why Liverpool must keep Divock Origi

The 26-year old is in his prime, at least in terms of his age, and is a very dependable back-up for LFC, with a minimum of four years of top level Football in him, Origi remains an ideal bench option for Jurgen Klopp's side. 

Additionally, the stats for keeping Origi do look favorable, it would be unfair to judge Origi on a stat such as expected goals (XG) in the games he's played as he often features in cameo appearances, thus making the stats a little less reflective of the 26-year olds performances. 

 So, according to FBref, during Origi's seven seasons at Liverpool, he has played 3,463 minutes or the equivalent of 38.5 full 90-minute games. 

In this time, Origi has notched up 21 goals and six assists for a total of 27 G/A in his time at Liverpool. 

This gives Origi a total of 0.70 G/A per 90 minutes he has played for Liverpool, which in itself is a very respectable amount of contributions, especially for someone who many consider being only good enough to be the backup striker. 

Furthermore, something that must be considered for a departing player is who would replace them?

Origi is a player that Liverpool have no like-for-like replacement for, he is a poaching striker who possesses physical attributes that no one at the club also possesses in his position. 

The alternative to Origi, if he was to leave the club, would be Takumi Minamino, who is a very different player to Origi. 

Since his move to the club two January transfer windows ago, there have only been small glimpses of the promise that Minamino showed whilst at RB Salzburg, meaning he is below Origi in the pecking order at LFC.

Irrespective of that, they are still two very different players, meaning that Minamino would not be a direct replacement for Origi. 

So, this would mean needing to look into the transfer market for a potential Origi replacement, something which the club are currently not linked with. 

This won't come as shock to many fans, with Fenway Sport Group (FSG), who own Liverpool, notorious for having tight purse strings compared to Liverpool's competitors. 

So therefore, if Origi was to depart Merseyside, it would be hard to imagine that the owners would sanction a move for an alternative - meaning Liverpool would be left with a hole in their squad. 

Obviously, from a player viewpoint, it is clear to see why Origi could depart. 

At 26, he is at an age where he wants to be playing consistent first-team football, something that he is not currently achieving at Liverpool, and barring injuries won't be achieving with this current squad. 

With sides like Newcastle and Fenerbache ready to offer him mega salaries to come and be their leading man, the temptation is there for Origi, and it is highly likely that we will see the Belgian international depart, if not now then this summer. 

But, if there's a chance Origi would rather remain at the club to fight for his place, then Liverpool should do what they can to keep a hold of the man who has earned a sort of cult hero status among the fans.