Why Holding On To This 16-goal Attacker Has been A Blunder By Jurgen Klopp This Summer

Liverpool Did A Mistake By Holding On To Daniel Sturridge In The Summer And They Should Offload Him Quickly

Daniel Sturridge may have performed well against Huddersfield Town but it doesn’t change the fact that he is still quite far behind in the pecking order at Liverpool. Despite rumoured interest from a number of Premier League clubs in the summer, Sturridge rejected the chance to leave Anfield in order to stay and fight for his place in the first-team.

So far, Sturridge, despite being fit, has featured sporadically for Liverpool. Firmly behind Roberto Firmino in the striker ranks at Anfield, Sturridge has been starved of game time and it could be time for him to leave the club. The England striker needs to move on in order to kick-start his career, and this will be necessary for him if he is to establish himself in Gareth Southgate’s England squad. The World Cup is fast approaching and the player needs all the game time in order to secure his spot.

Sturridge started just 7 Premier League matches last season, with Roberto Firmino establishing himself as Jurgen Klopp’s first choice No 9. There’s no doubt that he has quality and that he is a fantastic player, who is still only 27, but he just doesn’t play enough. He finished last season playing the last four games, and made a good contribution. However, the best solution would be a move. He has seemingly struggled to convince manager Jurgen Klopp that he can be a regular, long-term striker, and there seems to be no point in him staying back.

Since the 2013/14 season where Liverpool came so close to winning the Premier League and Sturridge scored 22 goals in 29 games, the former Chelsea attacker has struggled for form and fitness. Over the last three seasons, Sturridge has played just 53 Premier League games, scoring 16 goals – hardly the return a title-challenging side would demand from their front-line striker. These are poor numbers and do not read well for the player, even though he has spent so much time at Anfield.

Given his poor form, age, injury record and stature within the squad, it could be time for the player to seek an alternative club where he can start over. Sturridge could do well with a new challenge instead of trying and failing to establish himself under Klopp. Opportunities within the football world is limitless, and with the World Cup coming up, Sturridge should grab every chance he finds.

Moreover, with Liverpool looking to add new players in the next two transfer windows, the club could definitely benefit from selling Sturridge, since that that will provide them with a solid influx of cash.