Why Holding On To Daniel Sturridge Would Be A Blunder By Jurgen Klopp
According to a report from the Mirror, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is set to block an exit for striker Daniel Sturridge in the summer. The reason behind this, according to the report, is that the German is of the belief that bringing in a replacement for the Englishman would prove to be too costly for the club in the current state of the market.
The 27-year old had been relegated to a bit-part role over the last season as injuries have taken a toll on him, which was why he was linked heavily with a move away from the Anfield in the summer. However, with Klopp now deeming that it will be too expensive a venture to bring in a replacement, it looks like Sturridge isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
But is Klopp doing the right thing by doing so? The answer would be a ‘NO’.
Sturridge had been excellent for Liverpool after making the permanent move from Chelsea. He, along with Luis Suarez, almost fired the Merseysiders to a Premier League triumph only for a slip-up (pun intended) late in the season derailed their hopes of lifting the title.
However, since then, Sturridge has struggled to hit the same heights for the Reds. A regular bout of injuries haven’t really helped his cause and the lack of adaptability to the style and ways that Klopp brought with him, following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers, has been a major bone of contention as well.
Last season, Sturridge started just 7 Premier League games and made 13 appearances from the bench, scoring three times only. He found the back of the net four times from four EFL Cup games as well, but a lot more is expected from the England international.
Sturridge at 27, still has a lot of football left in him and his abilities have never been in question. However, he doesn’t seem to be a natural fit into Klopp’s scheme of things at all. Considering his age, his proven track record, and his experience, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Sturridge would easily command up to £30million in transfer fees or even more, in the current market. It must also be noted that there was no shortage of potential suitors for the Englishman either.
When one looks at the fee that which Arsenal are paying for the transfer of Alexandre Lacazette (£44 million plus £8.5 million in add-ons) – Liverpool’s primary transfer target for the most part of the summer, it does tend to lead to confusion among the fans as to what exactly was Klopp thinking. Selling Sturridge for £30million and another £20million investment in the club’s top target, who has proven himself on the continental stages and fits in with the profile of the players the club are looking for would have made perfect sense for the Reds.
Liverpool finished in the top-four and they will be playing in the UEFA Champions League if all goes well in the playoffs and if they are to compete on equal footing with the bigwigs of Europe and England, they need to be targeting players from the top bracket and they are going to cost you money.
By deciding to hold on to Sturridge just because the other options will be “expensive”, Klopp may have done a blunder as it is likely that the striker will also be disgruntled to be playing a bit-part role, especially in a World Cup year, leaving the former Borussia Dortmund manager with an unhappy player in his hands, who doesn’t really fit into his plans for Liverpool.
With the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and their local rivals Everton going big in the summer window, Liverpool cannot afford to be left behind, and Klopp needs to realise that at the earliest.
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