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Liverpool Will Reportedly Give Daniel Sturridge Chance to Earn New Contract
July 25, 2018
Liverpool are reportedly ready to give Daniel Sturridge the chance to earn a new contract at the club following an impressive pre-season.
According to Dominic King of the Daily Mail, while the Reds will listen to offers worth around £15 million for the striker, Liverpool would be willing to hand him a new deal if he continues to perform for manager Jurgen Klopp.
"... Since reporting back on July 2, Sturridge has impressed Klopp with his attitude," continued King. "He is fit, has been involved in all sessions and has looked sharp in the games he has played, so much so that it would not surprise if he started the Premier League opener against West Ham United."
As noted in the report, Sturridge has now entered the final year of his contract at Anfield, which is worth £120,000 a week.
Per King, there appears to be an opening for the England international. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have only just returned to training following the FIFA World Cup, while his rival for the centre-forward berth, Roberto Firmino, is still away on holiday after Brazil made it to the quarter-finals in Russia.
Sturridge spent the second half of last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion after failing to force his way into Klopp's plans, although his stint with the Baggies was disrupted by injuries.
It makes his sharpness in pre-season all the more surprising, and Rob Gutmann of The Anfield Wrap was full of praise for his performances but tempered expectations:
Sturridge enjoyed a remarkable campaign in 2013-14 for the Reds when he linked up to great effect with Luis Suarez to almost propel Liverpool to the Premier League title.
That campaign has proved to be the highlight of his career at Anfield thus far, as Sturridge has struggled for fitness since then, with injuries preventing him from building any real momentum and robbing him of the blistering pace he once had.
Sturridge has found himself in a difficult position since Klopp's arrival in 2015, although he appears to have been handed a lifeline by the manager in what has been a frantic summer. As noted by football writer Sam Maguire, the forward seems to have struck up an understanding with new signing Naby Keita too:
The worry with Sturridge has always been his injury record. It's why while Klopp will have him in mind to start off the campaign, it's unlikely he will be thinking about the striker as a regular starter throughout the course of the season.
If an offer did come in for Sturridge, the 28-year-old would potentially benefit from a chance to get a fresh start and regular football throughout 2018-19. But as things stand, up until January at least, it appears he has something to offer the Liverpool cause.