Home  »     »   Liverpool to turn to Chelsea forward for extra bite in final third

Liverpool to turn to Chelsea forward for extra bite in final third

| 17.10.2012

Brendan Rodgers is set to renew his interest in England international striker Daniel Sturridge when the transfer window re-opens in January.

An uncomfortable start to his Liverpool tenure has seen the Anfield outfit drift to 11/10 for a top-six finish and one of their main problems has been a lacking in the final third.

Luis Suarez has regularly forgotten his shooting boots this season and summer acquisition Fabio Borini has struggled to adapt to his wide berth in their front three.

This has resulted in the fast-tracking of youngster Raheem Sterling into the first-team fray, yet he is more of a chance creator than a scorer of goals.

Sturridge would be the perfect solution to this problem; he’s a player whose lightning pace makes him an asset out wide, while he has an eye for goal that makes him a threat in and around the penalty area.

First-team opportunities at Chelsea have been hard to come by this season. He is yet to make the starting XI once this term for club or country, nor has he found the back of the net, and currently sits in the Stamford Bridge treatment room.

These frustrations would surely leave him open for a loan move, especially to a club of Liverpool’s prestige, the biggest stumbling block would be whether Chelsea were willing to ship him out on a temporary basis.

Furthermore, Sturridge’s biggest gripe with Chelsea has been their insistence to use him on the wing, as opposed to his preferred position of centre forward. Rodgers’ system would likely see him employed in a similar role, which could deter him making the move.

The guarantee of first-team football should sway Sturridge, however, plus another factor that could persuade the 23-year-old to return to the north-west on loan is his form when he ventured to Bolton for the second half of the 2010/11 campaign.

He showed what a talent he is at the Reebok Stadium, where he notched eight goals in 12 appearances and, if he could rediscover a glimmer of that form, Liverpool’s attacking threat will improve beyond measure.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date

«
»

Author

James Middleton