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Former Liverpool striker Divock Origi left the Reds with his stock high but he is now facing a nightmare that he hopes will end in the January transfer window.
Belgian forward Divock Origi left Liverpool with his stock high but two-and-a-half years later, everything has come tumbling.
This is because Origi is in a state of limbo, stuck at a club that does not want him, and not even in their roster of players.
As the January transfer window approaches, the son of legendary Harambee Stars striker Mike Okoth is among those waiting with anticipation.
How it all began
Origi left Liverpool in the summer of 2022 after seven years at the club and while he was not among the key players, his contributions made him popular among the Kop.
The Belgian came up with a number of clutch moments like the 96th minute Merseyside derby winner against Everton in December 2018, the brace against Barcelona as the Reds completed a memorable Champions League semi-final comeback, as well as the second goal in their 2-0 win over Tottenham to claim the ‘Big Ears’ trophy at Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano.
That earned him cult status at Liverpool even if he was not a regular, having made 175 appearances, 68 of them being starts, while scoring 41 goals and providing 13 assists.
Italian adventure
When his contract ended, Italian giants AC Milan took a chance on him, backing him to come good as long as he got an extended run into the team.
Milan put their money where their mouth was and handed him a four-year contract worth €4 million per season, making him the second highest player at the club, only behind Rafael Leao.
Origi arrived with an injury but this was not seen as a stumbling block and the club was patient for him to heal and get into business.
Perfect debut but…
When he started, he scored and assisted on his debut against Monza but what appeared to be a promising stint turned into a nightmare.
Origi would only score another goal after, managing two in 36 games, and after one season, Milan had made up their mind to cut ties.
The club would loan him out to Nottingham Forest for the 2023-24 season, hoping that he would find some form, but failed to score in 20 Premier League games in a campaign when the side fought and survived relegation.
He managed one goal in a cup game but that was it in 22 matches across all competitions and Forest let him leave at the end of the season.
Milan nightmare
Returning to Milan with his stock fallen even further, the Rossoneri were clear, there was no space in their team for Origi.
That meant the striker had to find another club for the 2024-25 season or risk being thrown to the reserves (Under 23s).
The transfer window came and closed and Origi had not found a club, and true to their promise, Milan discarded him into the reserves, who play in the Italian third division, but worse still, he is not getting game time even there.
Still 29, the Belgian is wasting what is left of his prime years rotting at Milan and even though the pay is good, January cannot come soon enough.
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