Matt Oldfield


Daniel Sturridge certainly knows what he wants; success, success and more success. Frustrated by a lack of first-team opportunities at Manchester City and tempted by the offer of Champions League football, the talented youngster chose to join Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea this summer in a deal worth an estimated £5M. Sturridge’s high wage demands have made him one of the world’s best-paid footballers under the age of 21. Will he live up to his earnings and at 20-years-old, is Stamford Bridge the right place for the youngster to be right now?

Sturridge is certainly no stranger to new environments, having already sampled four top English clubs in his short career. Starting at local club Aston Villa, he moved to Coventry City at the age of 12 before being snapped up by Manchester City at 13. He is also no stranger to great expectations too. At 14, Sturridge was the top scorer and most valuable player at the world-famous Nike tournament and at 16, led his Manchester City team to the final of the Youth Cup. Losing to Liverpool on aggregate, Sturridge and his team-mates returned the next year to win the tournament.

Goals for the youth team and reserves earned the forward a full Manchester City debut at the age of 17 in 2007, and he scored his first Premier League goal in January 2008. The 2008/09 campaign was Sturridge’s breakthrough season but even then he was still left frustrated by a lack of playing time. Used as an impact substitute, Sturridge scored four goals but failed to secure a starting role. Even the Manchester City Young Player of the Year award was to prove not enough to keep him at the club.

City could not, or more possibly would not, match his wage demands of close to £55,000 a week and so he looked elsewhere. With many Premier League clubs chasing him, it was Chelsea who eventually sealed Sturridge’s signature, ending sporting director Frank Arnesen’s three-year pursuit of the player. But with more suitable Premier League clubs such as Aston Villa and West Ham United interested in his services and offering regular first-team football, did Sturridge let money and fame cloud his judgement?

That is not to say that Sturridge should have stayed in Manchester. With the arrival of big-name strikers Roque Santa Cruz, Emanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez, his chances of playing regularly at the City of Manchester Stadium would have been all but non-existent. However, swapping one talent-bloated squad for another may not prove to be the wisest move in the youngster’s career.

The 20-year-old may have been called up to the England Under-21 side since joining Chelsea, but little else has really gone according to plan for the former Manchester City striker. Sturridge has impressed since his arrival at Stamford Bridge but not enough to earn regular first-team football. A goal on his debut in a friendly against Seattle Sounders and a hat-trick for the reserves were rewarded with a Chelsea Premier League bow against Sunderland, replacing Didier Drogba with six minutes remaining. Despite just seeing out the tail end of the game, Sturridge still made an impact, nearly making it 4-1 in injury time. However, a combination of injury and then Chelsea clocking up six wins in a row kept Sturridge away from the team. With his talent and eagerness to impress, the England Under-21 striker will surely play again for the Blues, but has Sturridge made the same mistake as former City team-mate Shaun Wright-Phillips, moving to Stamford Bridge only to warm the bench?

The Birmingham born forward must surely be worried. He lies fourth in the strikers’ pecking order, behind the world-class pairing of Drogba and Nicolas Anelka but also behind Salomon Kalou. Fellow youngster Franco Di Santo is out on loan but impressive displays for Blackburn could see him return sooner rather than later. The pressure is on.

Sturridge will undoubtedly be learning a lot from Drogba and co but at 20-years-old he needs to challenge himself week in week out at the top level. At many Premier League clubs he would be a regular starter, gaining experience and confidence and working his way towards the full England squad. As it is, people are beginning to forget about Daniel Sturridge. Perhaps cup competitions will be where most of his opportunities will lie. A Carling Cup tie with QPR would have been an ideal chance for Sturridge to impress but a groin injury cruelly ruled him out. The striker would be forgiven for wondering when his next Chelsea appearance will come.

It remains possible however that an off-the-pitch issue could open the door for Sturridge. Chelsea’s recent transfer ban for the signing of French youngster Gael Kakuta may mean increased opportunities. If the Stamford Bridge club really are unable to buy players for two consecutive transfer windows, then Sturridge becomes a valuable player who will get his chance at some point. As Ancelotti has encouragingly highlighted, “Sturridge is young and we ­believe in young players”. Chelsea are not blessed with the plethora of strikers that the youngster’s former club Manchester City have, and so poor form, injuries, suspensions and African Nations Cup duty will surely bring Sturridge to the fore soon, especially after the embarrassing 3-1 defeat to Wigan. And when the opportunity comes, back the 20-year-old to grab it with both hands.

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