da supremo： According to Bleacher Report, Tottenham Hotspur could revive their interest in Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge during the January transfer window after taking a look at the England international last summer.
da betcris： No doubt, Sturridge is one of the most talented strikers in the Premier League and at the disposal of the Three Lions, and he proved as much against Scotland with the opening goal in a 3-0 win.
But the 27-year-old has failed to forge a place in Liverpool’s starting XI this season and with Jurgen Klopp’s boys currently top of the Premier League table, the situation seems unlikely to change anytime soon.
Accordingly, Mirror Football claimed earlier this week that Sturridge could look to leave Anfield in the new year and Bleacher Report have now put Spurs in the frame to snap him up.
But we at FootballFanCast aren’t convinced the former Manchester City and Chelsea forward is the right fit for White Hart Lane. Here are FOUR reasons why.
He doesn’t suit the style of play
Swapping Liverpool’s ‘gegenpressing’ philosophy for Mauricio Pochettino’s high-octane football is like jumping from the frying pan and into the fire.
Indeed, the Lilywhites share a scintillating high-pressing game with the Reds but an incompatibility with it appears to be the ultimate cause of Klopp dropping Sturridge in favour of Roberto Firmino and even Divock Origi.
The 27-year-old seemingly lacks the natural stamina and tenacity to effectively instigate the high press but that situation won’t change at White Hart Lane, where the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Heung-min Son push up to besiege opposition defences in their own third.
If Sturridge is to move on in January, he needs to find a club that demand less of their centre-forward off the ball. That certainly isn’t Tottenham.
He can’t play in the same line-up as Harry Kane
Unless Mauricio Pochettino plans to dump his tactical history by the wayside and start fielding Spurs in a 4-4-2 formation, it’s hard to envisage how Daniel Sturridge will fit into the same starting XI as their talismanic striker Harry Kane.
The Liverpool man can be utilised in wider capacities but he’s not a natural winger by any stretch of the imagination and tends to grow more apathetic the longer he’s refused the platform to find the net in the central role.
No doubt, Sturridge would be a fantastic option from the bench and Spurs’ strike-force is certainly on the slim side, with Vincent Janssen enduring a difficult start to his Lilywhites career.
But a rotation policy won’t particularly benefit either England striker, whilst Sturridge may as well stay at Anfield if he’s to spend large portions of the season watching from the bench.
He’s out of form
Sturridge may have netted during two of his last three England appearances but he’s scored just four times at club level so far this season, with none of his goals coming in the Premier League.
There’s no questioning the 27-year-old’s finishing ability and a lot can change between now and January, especially if injuries force Klopp to issue him a few more starts in the top flight.
Nonetheless, January signings need to hit the ground running and although Sturridge has the Premier League experience to do so, arriving at a new club amid a barren spell rarely pays off for centre-forwards.
Plenty of adapting will be required on Sturridge’s part and that will become an even harder task if he doesn’t have good scoring form to fall back on.
Injury problems
Sturridge has enjoyed a relatively clean bill of health this season but that’s not always been the case throughout his Liverpool career – he’s missed substantial portions of the last two campaigns through injury, much to the frustration of the Anfield faithful.
It adds an unnecessary level of risk to the potential Tottenham move and of all Premier League chairmen, Daniel Levy will be particularly sceptical about agreeing a large contract with a player who has managed more than 15 league appearances in a single campaign just thrice throughout his entire career.
Spurs will be left with a whole omelette on their face if Sturridge endures another lengthy sideline bout shortly after signing – it’s not as if history hasn’t warned them!