The chief executive of Perth Glory has admitted the signing of former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has been a failure.
Sturridge left the Reds in the summer of 2019, soon after he helped the club win a sixth European Cup in Madrid. He ended his time on Merseyside with 68 goals in 160 appearances, and remains a fan favourite at Anfield.
After leaving Liverpool, Sturridge had a brief spell at Turkish club Trabzonspor who he left in March 2020. He would have to wait 18 months before he would join his next club, where he signed for Australian League outfit Perth Glory in October last year.
However, things do not seem to have gone fully to plan for Sturridge since moving to Australia. He has made just five appearances for Perth, his last coming in February, and has been on the pitch for a total of 93 minutes, and is yet to score his first goal.
Perth chief executive Tony Pignata has spoken about the initial decision to bring Sturridge to the club. The chief went on to admit that the deal has not worked out, and does not expect an extension to Sturridge’s contract to happen, with it set to expire in June.
READ MORE: Sir Alex Ferguson comments come back to haunt him after mocking Liverpool's £75m spending spree
READ MORE: Liverpool right to fume with Premier League pencil pushers after controversial Rangers decision
“It has been disappointing. We had high hopes when we signed Daniel. It hasn’t worked,” Pignata told SEN’s The Global Game, via The Guardian .
“From a marketing point of view, the first game, we had 18,000 on the back of him arriving and the hype. Then unfortunately he got injured ... and he hasn’t been seen since.
“He’s training and there’s potential that he could play some minutes this week and then finish off the season. Next year? Look, I doubt that we’ll offer him another contract.”
The decision to sign Sturridge did not appear to be welcomed by former Perth manager Richard Garcia, who was in charge of Perth Glory until last month. The 40-year-old, soon after departing the A-League club, was critical of Sturridge’s arrival.
“I was aware there were voices in the background that had agendas, but that’s part and parcel of football and being a coach,” Garcia told The West Australian newspaper in March.
“I don’t think many people realised we were working on a budget.
“People go on about Sturridge but when you ask for money, you’re told there is none, and that (Sturridge signing) happens ... that’s another issue.
“The less said about Sturridge the better.”
