LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, October 25, 2016: Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge in action against Tottenham Hotspur during the Football League Cup 4th Round match at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Rubbish Rumours: Sturridge to Southampton

We’re still over a month away from the transfer window opening but the rubbish rumours are arriving at a quicker rate as the nights draw in and Daniel Sturridge continues to warm the Liverpool bench.

You’ve possibly seen the headlines in plenty of media publications linking Sturridge with a move to Southampton in January.

Apparently, “The Saints are preparing a £25m bid for the England international which would see Sturridge join initially on loan in January, with a view to a permanent move in the summer.”

Incredible stuff really – how can anyone believe that Liverpool would loan out a player who is still going to have a key role, when they are potentially in the midst of a push for the title?

If Liverpool are to allow Sturridge to leave, it certainly won’t be on loan, and it certainly won’t be in the middle of the season when it’s far harder to replace him.

But with this rumour it is important to realise where it originated from: the Express – the tabloid who recently lost Paul Joyce – a very reliable and respected Liverpool reporter.

Since Joyce’s move from the Express to the Times this month, the Express have ran a few Liverpool “exclusives” but none are from anyone remotely reliably, or even noteworthy as a football reporter. This latest Sturridge one is written by an author named “Tony Banks” – an author who, according to the Express’ own website, has never written any other article for the Express.

It seems the UKIP-supporting, right-wing tabloid has turned to other means to draw in Liverpool content since Joyce left.

So even though the likes of the Liverpool Echo and other mainstream media are now regurgitating the same rumour, via the Express, it doesn’t give it any credibility.

Yet another one you can safely say won’t be happening.

If Southampton want anyone on loan this January, they can take Mamadou Sakho and give us Virgil Van Dijk in return…

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