Daniel Sturridge may not have been a household name in European football when he made his move to Chelsea in July 2009, but he was still perceived as being something of a prodigy at Manchester City. The 19 year old had made his debut for the club as a 17 year old in February 2007, the prolific youth-team goalscorer had forced his way into a first-team set-up which had consisted a forward line-up of the likes of Robinho, Craig Bellamy, Felipe Caicedo, Jo and Benjani. So, it was a surprise when Citys 2009 young player of the year and future England international was poached by a top four rival before his 20th birthday. Having turned down a new deal at the club, City boss Mark Hughes did not exactly hide his disappointment about his powerlessness to stop Eastlands youth starlet from slipping through his fingers.
''We have made an offer which is a good offer for Daniel at this stage of his career and that was refused a couple of weeks back. If he gets offers from elsewhere, theres not much I can do about that. - Mark Hughes, July 2009.
With Sturridge allegedly knocking back the offered salary of £55,000 p/wk, seeking closer to £80,000 p/wk, the hierarchy at Chelsea swooped to snap him up on a four-year contract. Since Sturridge was under 24, a tribunal agreed an initial fee of £3.5 million with additional payments would be paid to City.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
