The Perth Glory have announced the marquee signing of former Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge on a one-year deal after days of speculation linking him to HBF Park.
It signifies an unbelievable coup for the game down under, with the Perth Glory adding another striker to their already impressive pool of forwards including Andy Keogh and Bruno Fornaroli.
Sturridge played 160 games for Liverpool, scoring 67 goals. He recently plied his trade for Turkish club Trabzonspor where he scored seven goals in 16 games.
Daniel Sturridge spoke on the opportunity to sign in Australia.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to try a new challenge,” he said.
“When the opportunity came about, it felt like the right thing to do, to take my talent somewhere where I can enjoy my football in a competitive league and try and help the team be as successful as they possibly can be.
“I’m going to put my best foot forward, work hard and try and help the team win each game that comes by and then we’ll see where we end up when the season finishes.
“I can’t wait to play at HBF Park and hopefully put a smile on a lot of faces.”
Head coach Richard Garcia also expressed his delight at this unbelievable coup.
“Daniel’s quality on the park speaks for itself,” he said, “and it is fantastic for the club and the league that a player of Daniel’s calibre is joining us.
“His motivation and drive aligns with the values and ambitions of the team and the club as a whole.”
Perth Glory chairman Tony Sage also added some comments on the matter.
“Daniel is undoubtedly one of the biggest signings not only in Glory’s history, but in the history of the A-League,” he said.
“His arrival signals in no uncertain terms how determined we are to bring sustained success to the club and the lengths we will go to in order to achieve that goal.
“We know the elite-level quality Daniel will bring to the side and are hugely excited to see him wearing the famous purple this season.”
