After repeatedly stating that he would like to stay and fight for his place in Liverpool, it seems Sturridge has finally decided to leave Anfield and look for options outside realising that he will always be after Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi in the pecking order in Liverpool.
According to Mirror, Sturridge’s availability just before the January transfer season has kept many clubs on alert, especially West Ham and Stoke City which would help us see an interesting “£28 million battle for his signature”. Mirror also added that “a number of clubs” have been made aware that the England international is ready to move on and the battle will not only be two-way.
We think Stoke City will have the edge over the London club as Sturridge has previously played under Mark Hughes when he was the manager of Manchester City in the 2008-09 season. Sturridge had scored 4 goals and made 2 assists in the 14 games he had played. His season was shortened by a malleolar injury and viral infection.
Even if we go performance-wise this season, Stoke City have shown much resilience and grit in their game as compared to West Ham United who are lingering just above the relegation zone. Stoke have regained their composure after their initial bump, losing 4 matches in their first 5 games. They have since stayed undefeated in the six games, winning three of them. They are currently at the 12th position with 13 points from 11 games.
Apart from the boss who is well acquainted with the player, there are many other reasons Sturridge could really flourish in the club and take them to the top 8. With players like Xherdan Shaqiri, Joe Allen, Imbula, Marko Arnautovic and more to support him up front, he could do what he does best. Sturridge’s biggest weakness is his defending and this would be a different buy for Stoke, who have an affinity towards strong and tall players.
But it seems that affinity will help Sturridge to thrive at Britannia Stadium. The England forward relies too much on his pace and finishing, which is currently not enough for Klopp’s tactics who wants his players to chase the ball back and front.
It won’t be the case for him at Stoke as they have enough bodies to do the job at the back in the likes of Ryan Shawcross, Bruno Martins Indi, Eric Pieters, Phil Bardsley and many more. He will get to do the thing he does best. Stoke City have been struggling with strikers up front with Wilfried Bony, Bojan Krkic, Pater Crouch, all misfiring and providing the quantity instead of the needed quality. Sturridge could really take them the distance.
