Liverpool have confirmed the signing of 23-year-old Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea in a move that's been rumoured since the middle of summer. The deal comes as zero surprise -- Rafa Benitez even confirmed that Sturridge had passed a medical last week -- but now it's done and dusted and we can get a little bit of closure.
Here's the man himself on the deal:
I am humbled and happy to be here.
Brendan Rodgers said he sees me here for a long time - and I also see myself here for a long time. I've not signed here to play for a couple of years and then move on.
I've signed to be here for as long as possible. It's a humongous club - for me, one of the biggest in the world - and to have the fans and world-class players we have here is amazing.
Although Sturridge developed well enough, scored some key goals for us, and ended up being sold for a profit (£12 million) even after taking goals into account, it's difficult not to see his time and Chelsea as much more than a disappointment. He's a gifted goalscorer but has enough problems with decision making that his play ended up being more frustrating than anything else, and £12 million is more than enough for me to be happy with the sale.
It's incredible that just a year ago Sturridge was a young, if slightly flawed, talent who was blossoming under Andre Villas-Boas -- he'd have been worth far more in January 2011 -- but he's been out of favour and/or injured under both Roberto di Matteo and Rafa Benitez, and it was clear he didn't have much of a future at Stamford Bridge. It'd be nice to see him find his feet at Liverpool, although I have my doubts that he's ever going to make it huge. Good luck to him there.