Sturridge

This afternoon saw the completion of Daniel Sturridge’s £12 million move to Liverpool, the player opting to to take the 200 mile journey up North in a bid to secure more first team football.

The move has been rumoured for a number of weeks but was today confirmed and finalised in what Liverpool fans will hope  to be the first signing of many in the January window.

Sturridge is likely to step straight into the Liverpool starting 11 and will hope to offer a few more goals to a side that are currently ridiculously overly reliant on star striker Luis Suarez.

With the arrival of the young forward, the future of three other players in similar positions could be cast into doubt. Who are they? Read on to find out.

3.  Joe Cole

joe cole liverpool

It’s turning into a bit of a cliche that Joe Cole is past his former glory. But unfortunately, as overused a phrase at it is, it’s 100% true.

He used to be one of the countries most precocious talents – now, he finds himself on the bench for a mediocre Liverpool side, making only sporadic appearances for the club. In fairness, he’s been putting in some reasonable performances, but doesn’t look fit enough to play a full game and the likes of Sterling, Downing, Suso, Borini – even Shelvey – are preferred in his position.

His impossible task of securing a first team place has now become even impossibl-er. Sturridge is younger, quicker and costs much less in terms of wages. As disappointing as it may be for him, Joe Cole needs to smell the bacon and work out the painful truth that Liverpool no longer need him. And, with regard to Liverpool, they need to co-operate and do what they can to help him move on – even if this means a rather large pay out.

We are currently seeking Liverpool contributors on WhatCulture. To find out more about the perks of being a Liverpool contributor, click here.