West Brom: Comeback needed to avoid Daryl Dike, Daniel Sturridge comparison | OneFootball

As injury spells continue to sideline this West Brom striker, a sustained run of games is needed in the new year to avoid Daniel Sturridge comparison

As one West Brom striker reaches over 700 days of absence for the Baggies, time is ticking down for a New Year comeback that could stop comparisons to Albion's previous perennial absentee, Daniel Sturridge.

On New Year's Day 2022, West Brom fans were quickly given another chance to pop the champagne and stop the New Year blues with the announcement of USMNT international, Daryl Dike.

The promise of a prolific and proven second-tier striker who'd seen great success with Barnsley the previous term, scoring nine goals in 14 starts, seemed too good to be true, even for a fee in excess of £7m.

Dike would also be reuniting with Tykes' former manager, Valerian Ismael, a dubious figure yet to capture the Albion collective with his pragmatic approach. Still, with the coup of a former player who played a key role in Barnsley's sixth-place play-off finish in 2020/21, the festive feeling could not help but flow through The Hawthorns.

With many from the top flight vying for the American's signature, including Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Newcastle, Ismael echoed fans' excitement, labelling the forward as "everything we need" to WBA.

“I’m delighted we have completed the transfer of Dike. “He was always our first target and priority.

“Dike has everything we need from the No.9 position. He has energy and strength – he challenges defenders – and he scores goals. I worked with him at Barnsley and I know him very well. He has the mentality. He is 21 years old and is still a young player – but he has a lot of experience.”

The powerful forward had "everything we need" but couldn't deliver it quick enough to save his old boss

With Ismael's position already hanging by a thread, the Frenchman could not afford the luxury of time for his new forward to adapt in a West Brom shirt, but seeds were immediately sown about the availability of Albion's new American, with the forward not being available for a fortnight due to inactivity since the 24th November.

But after only missing five games through injury for previous outlet, Orlando City, the forward had no history of injury frequency to keep the Baggies concerned.

Frankly, all the concern was cornered on Dike's previous boss, with Ismael knighting the new year with a draw and third-round FA Cup exit v Brighton.

With Albion already only hanging onto the prospect of automatic places by a thread, it was a relief to Ismael that his star striker would be fit for the crucial clash versus Queens Park Rangers on January 15th. However, this relief was shortlived as after a cameo appearance, Dike couldn't deny The Hoops from a 1-0 win.

The forward would go on to make his first start for the Albion the following week versus Peterborough in a 3-0 victory that felt like a relief in Ismael's fight to keep his job, but what began as relief quickly turned into fright as it was revealed that Dike's 53rd-minute substitution would be the final time he'd feature in the blue and white stripes this campaign.

If Ismael thought things could not get much worse within this spell, it would not be long until it was the final time the Frenchman would be the man in The Hawthorns dugout, as after two successive 2-0 defeats, Albion decided to sack the manager after just seven months completed of his four-year contract.

Winning just 12 of his 31 matches in charge, West Brom were left eight points adrift from the automatic promotion action.

Aside from a hopeful 25-match spell in 2022/23 (21 of which being under current coach Carlos Corberan), Dike is running out of time to prove he can provide the persistence that Albion commands.

With Josh Maja now goalless in six and Albion's play-off push reaches a pivotal stage, the new year now marks the best opportunity for Dike to prove he's the £7m man West Brom paid for, and justifies being Baggies highest-paid permanent player at an estimated £32,308 per week.

However, as Patel has already demonstrated, his transfer prerogative has signalled the end of the higher-paid contracts that persevered under the previous administration, and with Corberan telling the Express and Star it is "impossible" to predict Dike's return, Patel may take a closer look at the American when he enters the final year of his contract in the summer.

As Dike has now missed well over double the matches he has played for West Brom, the following six months may also be the final chance for the American to avoid comparisons to a former Albion forward whose legacy was also cemented by injury.

That forward was Daniel Sturridge.

Baggies thought Sturridge would bring Premier League pedigree

Alike the New Year delivery of Daryl Dike, the signing of Sturridge seemed as though a real statement to bring the Birmingham-born forward back to the midlands, beating out Premier League rivals Newcastle and Serie A giants AC Milan as Baggies battled for their place in the top-flight.

Then-manager Alan Pardew similarly echoed the excitement, telling Sky Sports:

"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. "He has fantastic talent and will strengthen our ambitions."

Joining from Premier League powerhouse Liverpool, Sturridge was now a seasoned striker within the top-tier but had begun to suffer with injury concerns, keeping him out for the majority of the previous campaign.

These injury concerns however were quickly realised within the blue and white stripes as Sturridge suffered an injury within a mere month of joining West Brom, an injury that would suspend the striker on the sideline until April.

The forward registered just six appearances as an Albion player, and his legacy left at the club is one defined by the length of time he was off the pitch rather than on, as Albion slipped too deep into the danger zone and Sturridge played little part in preventing their descent to the second tier.

Frustratingly for the Baggies, the former Liverpool man would show his class once again for The Reds the following season, playing a part in Liverpool's Champions League success where Sturridge registered 27 appearances across the year.

Although Sturridge's story with the Baggies ended with their relegation to the second tier, Albion fans can take hope from the contribution the former Chelsea forward managed the successive term, a contribution they will similarly pray Dike could manage in the new year to keep Baggies play-off prayer alive.