3 Dec 2015

Redknapp: £52m superstar is still 'better' than 'unstoppable Liverpool attacker. Carra agrees, but who's right?

On his first start since returning from injury, Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge smashed in two great goals against Southampton, and proved yet again that he is one of the most lethal strikers in the Premier League (if not Europe). When fit, Sturridge is (arguably) Liverpool's most important player, but according to ex-Red Jamie Redknapp, there's still one striker in England who is slightly ahead of him.

Reacting to Liverpool's emphatic League Cup victory, Redknapp raved:

"When he [Sturridge] in this sort of form, he is unstoppable, and he turned that game on his head with two moments of brilliance. I still think Aguero is better".

Anfield legend Jamie Carrager concurs, and in a recent interview with Sky Sports, he claimed:

"If Liverpool can get him [Sturridge] firing then there's only really Aguero who's a better striker than him. If you look around the top teams, there's only Aguero you'd have before him."

Is Aguero really a better (i.e. more effective) striker than Sturridge? Let's look at the primary stats by which strikers are (or should be) judged:



A striker's primary role is to score/create goals, and although the margins are small, Aguero is out in front, and that makes him (arguably) the best striker in English football.

That said, Sturridge's £12m transfer fee* is a comparative bargain, and overall, he is significantly better value for money that Aguero**, who costs more per goal/assist.

Sturridge is a top-class striker, but he remains unreliable, and scoring two goals against Southampton doesn't change that, and if he sustains another long-term injury, I remain in favour of selling him.

All bias and emotion aside, it's impossible to build a team around a player with Sturridge's injury history, and if he can't remain fit, then Liverpool need to find a concrete way to consistently win games without him.



* Sturridge now rated in the £18m range (according to 2015 CIES Football Observatory Transfer Fee Study)
** Aguero now rated in £52m-£60m range

Author: Jaimie K


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