Daniel Sturridge has joined West Bromwich Albion on loan until the end of the season after rejecting the chance to sign for Newcastle United. The out-of-favour Liverpool striker attracted interest from several clubs in this window, including Internazionale, Sevilla and Newcastle, but had a successful medical at West Brom on Monday.
Liverpool’s FA Cup conquerors agreed a loan fee of around £1.5m for Sturridge, who has not featured for Jürgen Klopp since the Champions League rout of Spartak Moscow in early December and has made only five starts all season. They will also cover the striker’s wages for the duration of his stay at The Hawthorns. Sturridge is believed to earn around £120,000 a week at Anfield with bonuses taking that figure towards £150,000 a week.
Internazionale had a loan offer accepted by Liverpool but the England international hoped for a move to Sevilla, who were unable to agree terms with the Anfield club.
West Brom had been close to sealing a £16m deal for Watford's Troy Deeney, only for them to cool their interest when it became clear that Sturridge was open to the move. Alan Pardew's side have also signed the Egyptian centre-back Ali Gabr on loan from Zamalek until the end of the season with a view to a permanent deal.
The Baggies' manager, Alan Pardew, said the 28-year-old will boost the club's survival hopes. "I hope our fans can understand that we are fighting to stay in the Premier League, not just on the pitch but in the market place as well," Pardew said. "This is a big coup for us and I speak for my staff and my players and say 'thank you' to Daniel for agreeing to assist us in league and Cup."
Sturridge said: “I’ve got friends here I’ve played with before, the manager spoke very well, the challenge with the team and the style of play … I just felt this was the right fit for me.”
Sturridge is likely to be the highest-profile transfer at Liverpool over the next few days with Klopp confirming Philippe Coutinho will not be replaced before Wednesday's deadline. – Guardian service
