OPINION
Whenever Liverpool needed a hero the most last season, Divock Origi was the one who stepped forward.
The first glimpse of the Belgian’s ability to be the Reds’ main man was in the Merseyside derby against Everton in December where he came off the bench to score a last-gasp winner.
Pass forward to the end of the season, and Origi scored twice in Liverpool’s memorable turnaround against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final – a brace that was topped off with the all-important second goal in the final against Tottenham.
All of these moments led to Jurgen Klopp becoming desperate to offer the 24-year-old a new contract, with Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur claiming the German made a promise to give the forward more first-team minutes next season.
After all of that, it comes as a surprise to see the Mirror reporting that Liverpool had joined the race to sign CSKA Moscow forward Fedor Chalov on Sunday. Klopp must be careful and remember the promise he made to Origi, and end any pursuit for the Russian.
Origi only made four Premier League starts last season, adding eight appearances from the bench as Roberto Firmino took center stage at Anfield. The release of Daniel Sturridge made sure that Origi will hold more expectations this season in his role, with the potential signing of Chalov surely pushing the Belgian further away from guaranteed minutes.
The signing of Chalov would have been a smart addition, but the agreement with Origi makes it almost impossible for Klopp to sanction a move for the 21-year-old.
Chalov was involved in 22 goals in the Russian League last season and averaged 3.3 shots per game for his club [WhoScored] – a stat that Origi must look to replicate and add more danger to the Reds’ frontline.
Klopp must be careful and stick to his words and grant Origi more game time, after all, he definitely earned it last season.
