Daniel Sturridge has completed his move to West Bromwich Albion after snubbing a loan switch to Newcastle United.
The Magpies were granted permission to speak to the England international this morning but after agreeing a loan fee and wages, Sturridge did not turn up at the club’s Benton training ground as initially arranged.
Instead the Baggies pushed hard for the ex-Chelsea striker and are believe to have persuaded Sturridge to sign for the Hawnthorns club for football reasons.
Sturridge said: “This felt like the right fit. I’ve got friends here I’ve played with before, the manager spoke very well, the challenge with the team and the style of play. I just felt this was the right fit for me.”
And boss Alan Pardew said it was "coup". He said: "“I hope our fans can understand that we are fighting to stay in the Premier League, not just on the pitch but in the market place as well.
“This is a big coup for us and I speak for my staff and my players and say ‘thank you’ to Daniel for agreeing to assist us in League and Cup.
“He has fantastic talent and will strengthen our ambitions on both fronts.”
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A West Brom statement read: “England striker Daniel Sturridge has joined Albion on loan for the remainder of the 2017/18 Premier League season.
“The 28-year-old Liverpool forward adds further strength to Alan Pardew’s attacking options for the final 14 fixtures of the league campaign.
“He is also eligible to play for Albion in the Emirates FA Cup having not featured for the Reds in this year’s competition.
“Birmingham-born Sturridge arrives at The Hawthorns with a prolific goalscoring record. He has 74 Premier League goals to his name in just 114 top-flight starts and has netted on 27 occasions in cup competitions.”
Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez will give his pre-match press conference at 1.30pm on Tuesday with increasing question marks about United’s business with just 48 hours left in the January window.
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