West Brom had a transfer disaster involving Liverpool - His move happened far too late | OneFootball

Daniel Sturridge was past his best by the time a spell with West Brom came around

West Bromwich Albion supporters have been treated to viewing the goalscoring exploits of many great strikers throughout the club's rich history.

The likes of Cyrille Regis, Laurie Cunningham, Bob Taylor, Kevin Phillips and Romelu Lukaku are among the plethora of star performers to fall under said category, with those currently contracted to the club in the Championship hoping to write their own names into folklore at The Hawthorns.

Since the turn of the millennium, West Brom have enjoyed varying spells between the top end of the second-tier and the middle of the Premier League table, which included a lengthy spell in the top flight between 2010 and 2018.

After returning to the elite of English football at the first time of asking under Roberto Di Matteo, the Baggies were largely able to comfortably maintain their status under the likes of Steve Clarke, Pepe Mel and Tony Pulis, all before the disastrous 2017/18 season came around.

Finishing ninth in Pulis' final full season in this part of the West Midlands the season before, there was a strong sense of optimism that Albion could finish in the top-half once again, although the exact opposite set of circumstances would unfold.

In a bid to pull off an escape from relegation, Alan Pardew was appointed as the Welshman's successor, although his short spell in charge would also be summed up by the capture of a Liverpool striker which came many years on from his best years.

Daniel Sturridge had previously been one of English football's most lethal strikers

In the earlier stages of his career, Daniel Sturridge had rightfully earned a reputation for being one of the country's most promising young strikers.

After spells at Aston Villa, Coventry City and Manchester City as a youngster, the Brummie burst onto the scene in the North West back in 2007/08, and after a strong breakthrough, moved to Chelsea shortly after being named City's Young Player of the Year in 2009.

Despite a fairly strong return in front of goal in 2011/12 for the Blues, Sturridge made another high-profile switch to Liverpool in the winter of 2013, moving to Anfield for just £12m.

The England international immediately struck up a frightening partnership with Uruguayan icon Luis Suárez, with the aptly named 'S&S' duo a key reason behind the Reds' well-documented title charge in his first full season at the club, during which he netted 21 times, with his counterpart the only top-flight player to score more, earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year in the process.

Unsurprisingly, following Suarez's departure to Barcelona, Liverpool struggled for consistency for a brief period, with Sturridge struggling for fitness and then regular gametime following the signing of Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim.

By the time January 2018 had rolled around, Sturridge had scored just 12 league goals in the previous two-and-a-half years, before being tasked with the job of spearheading a relegation escape at West Brom alongside Salomon Rondon and Jay Rodriguez.

Daniel Sturridge barely impacted West Brom's near escape from relegation

After spending the previous month sidelined, the experienced forward made his Albion bow through a 12-minute cameo in a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, before appearing at The Hawthorns for the first time the following week, with his first start being a 3-2 defeat to Southampton.

However, in his third appearance for the Baggies, Sturridge suffered a hamstring issue that would see him miss the remaining weeks of Pardew's ill-fated spell in the hotseat, with Darren Moore taking the reins as the season drew to a close.

Despite being well adrift of safety, the former Baggies centre-back was able to offer a glimmer of hope with successive victories over Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham, as well as a 2-2 draw against Sturridge's parent club. However, such efforts would come in vain as Albion were relegated as the league's bottom side, finishing on 31 points.

Overall, the man who is now a regular on Sky Sports failed to score in just six appearances for Albion, proving that the deal had come perhaps way too late to aid their survival aims, as well as his career as a whole.