22 Dec 2015

Redknapp warns: Liverpool are a 'different team' without 'amazing' £18m star. Sell or keep?

It's only 15 games into the Jurgen Klopp era, and the wheels are already coming off the Liverpool 'Kloppolution'. The Reds have now gone four games without a win, and despite spending £80m on attacking players over the summer (plus tens of millions more last year), the team is still consistently toothless upfront. After spending so much money, that shouldn't be the case, but according to ex-Red Jamie Redknapp, Liverpool still haven't found a way to replace Daniel Sturridge's goals.

In his column for the Daily Mail this week, Redknapp mused:

"I think we all got a bit carried away when Jurgen Klopp arrived but this shows there is work to be done. Klopp is a top manager but without Daniel Sturridge Liverpool are a different team".

There's no great insight here; every Liverpool fans knows this to be the truth, but the question is, how long is this situation going to continue?

In my view, Sturridge - recently described by Lucas Leiva as an 'amazing' player - is finished; his career is a write-off, and he'll never be able to play as much as Liverpool need him to play.

Granted, that's a slight exaggeration of the truth, but Liverpool should proceed on the basis of that reality, and the club's top transfer priority should (IMO) be the recruitment of a top class, similarly prolific replacement.

Right now, the difference without Sturridge a giant negative, but with the right buys, the Reds can become a different team in a positive way, and Klopp will hopefully be able to make that difference over the next two transfer windows.

The big question is, should Liverpool sell Sturridge, or keep him as a luxury player, whose injury-proneness is acknowledge/accepted along with his ability - when fit - to score goals for fun?

I'd keep Sturridge, but if he can't remain consistently fit, he shouldn't be on £150K-a-week. If his fitness doesn't improve, then Sturridge should be placed on a 'pay-as-you-play' contract (or a vastly reduced wage), and if that's not to his liking, then he should leave.

Author: Jaimie K


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