In Focus: Sturridge could have been the Newcastle signing that guaranteed survival

Football FanCast

By James Beavis

Published Jan 29, 2018

Newcastle United are reportedly set to lose out to Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion in the race to sign out of favour Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge on loan until the end of the season, having earlier thought they were in pole position to get the 28-year-old.

According to reports in The Guardian, Newcastle United look set to lose out to West Bromwich Albion in the race to sign Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge on loan before the January transfer window slams shut on Wednesday.

What's the word, then?

Well, The Guardian says that the Baggies are set to sign the out of favour Reds centre-forward on a temporary basis until the end of the season despite reports to the contrary earlier that suggested the England international was heading for St James' Park.

Magpies manager Rafa Benitez is desperate to add a new striker – and possibly two – before the close of play on Wednesday, but it doesn't look like it will be the 28-year-old after The Guardian reports West Brom have agreed to pay £1.5m to bring him to the Hawthorns on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

The Tyneside outfit will now have to look elsewhere for attacking reinforcements, with Feyenoord's Nicolai Jorgensen still a top target.

Would Sturridge have been a good signing for Newcastle?

If he they could have kept him fit, he certainly would have been.

The 28-year-old has shown throughout his career that he is a natural goalscorer if he is consistently on the pitch, and he has scored 75 Premier League goals in his career, as well as 64 in 133 games for Liverpool in total.

With the Magpies only scoring 22 goals in their 24 top flight matches this season, it is easy to see where one of their biggest issues lies, and they need to add goals to their team in the last couple of days of the January window.

How much of a blow is it to miss out?

It will be a huge blow for Benitez, especially losing out to a team currently in 19th position.

While they may also want someone like Jorgensen, Sturridge had that Premier League experience and know-how, and he was a proven goalscorer at this level.

His presence in the team would have given a huge boost to a club that is desperately in need of one, and there would have been a confidence that the England international would have got the goals to keep the Magpies up.