West Bromwich Albion are reportedly close to signing Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge. The England international has had a subdued season at Anfield, largely owing to niggling injuries and Jürgen Klopp’s preference of using Roberto Firmino.
Though Liverpool’s squad isn’t the biggest, they are open to selling Sturridge. He had been linked with a move to Inter Milan of late, but Alan Pardew has managed to convince the forward to join the Baggies instead.
Someone as prolific as Sturridge could be a good addition to their team. However, the 28-year old is quite injury prone and that is the only thing which will bug the fans.
Sturridge – fact file
When fit, Sturridge is one of the best strikers in the league. The problem is, he takes too long to recover from his muscle injuries, so the subsequent games after that aren’t his best. He isn’t someone who’ll return from an injury and set the game on fire.
So far this season, Sturridge has started just five games in the league and made four substitute appearances. Apart from his goals, he recorded an impressive 1.4 key passes every game, which hints he combined well with the teammates. However, Klopp’s system only works when the striker is able to drop deep at times and create for the side players, something Sturridge isn’t necessarily good at.
The former Chelsea man is known to be a bit selfish at times, and that has hindered his chances of making the team more often.
What will he provide West Brom?
Not only is Sturridge a good finisher, he’s also someone who can take on a defender and beat him in a one-vs-one situation.
The Englishman has a good burst of pace and can pull off a trick or two in a tight situation, so he’d be an asset not only in a counter-attacking setup against the bigger teams but also in a proactive setup.
Considering the World Cup is on the horizon, Sturridge knows he can mess around at West Brom. Pardew’s side don’t have the gung-ho approach that Liverpool adopt, so Sturridge’s injury record could get better at West Midlands.
West Brom are still second from bottom in the League table and after beating Liverpool on the FA Cup, take on Manchester City in what will be a tough game. Sturridge is back from an injury and could be in contention to start the game after that.
Stats courtesy Whoscored
