The impact of Liverpool attacker Divock Origi convinced Reds manager Jurgen Klopp to sanction Dominic Solanke’s sale, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The newspaper claims that the German was so impressed by Origi’s Merseyside derby winner against Everton last month, and the subsequent effect it had on his team, that he was willing to allow Solanke to join Bournemouth yesterday.
The Belgium international famously capitalised on a mistake by Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to secure victory for the Reds at the start of December, precipitating a run of seven straight wins in all competitions.
Now back in the mix, Klopp is seemingly satisfied with Origi and Daniel Sturridge as his primary options behind Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
OPINION
This is both surprising and not surprising. Solanke didn’t seem to be going anywhere at Anfield and Liverpool received a good fee for him so in that respect it made sense for him to leave the club. However, Origi being the reason why is a bit baffling. Yes, he scored the winner against Everton last month, but since then he has done precious little in Liverpool red. He’s a decent player, there’s no doubt about that, but his impact surely hasn’t been such that it would convince Klopp to cast a talented young player aside. It’s probably a combination of Solanke’s lack of progress, Sturbridge’s reemergence this term and Origi’s impact against Everton. All in all it was a decision that made sense for all parties, and the interesting thing will be to see whether Origi gets more of a first team chance as a result of the youngster’s departure.
