Fans remember Daniel Sturridge as a dominant attacker whose partnership with Luis Suarez carried Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers.
It wasn’t that hard to persuade the Englishman to move to Anfield in 2013 when he was with Chelsea. Despite having one of the three big cups, the English Premier League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League, the Birmingham native wasn’t getting enough time on the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
Later, with the Reds, though, he won the UEFA Champions League again and departed for Turkey in 2019. He scored 68 goals and made 20 assists for Liverpool, making a total of 168 appearances for the club.
He had also played for Manchester City, but wasn’t a regular feature, just like his time at Stamford Bridge. The Englishman retired in 2023 after playing in Australia for Perth Glory.
While in talks with FourFourTwo, the striker revealed what persuaded him to join Liverpool in the first place. He really liked the club’s approach as he saw something interesting building up in the world of football.
Ex-Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge reveals Anfield transfer details
Daniel Sturridge explains why he moved to Liverpool (Credits: Imago Images)
Sturridge was surprised by Brendan Rodgers’ “Moneyball” approach and was also hoping to get more minutes, as that is what he valued the most.
“It was in how they relayed their plan to me of what they wanted to do and what they wanted to achieve. They talked a lot about the statistics; the Moneyball type of thing.”
“I think I was one of the first players, if not the first, that they’d signed with that in mind, which was all based on stats. Things such as conversion rates – they were like, ‘You don’t get many opportunities, but when you play, you score, and also this and this, and we’ve seen this other thing, too’.”
FSG’s “Moneyball” approach and Brendan Rodgers’ allure
Fenway Sports Group are probably the first owners to bring the “Moneyball” approach to football. However, Sturridge was also interested in playing under Rodgers.
“I was like, ‘This whole thing you’ve put up in front of me is blowing my mind a little bit’. I really liked the way they were thinking.”
“The manager, Brendan Rodgers, was a forward-thinking, attacking, free-flowing coach as well, so it just made perfect sense, because I wasn’t playing every game before that.”
“I’ve always been someone who isn’t content being at a big team simply to be there. I want to play. If that means leaving to play for somebody else, so be it.”
