Daniel Sturridge Capture May Close the Door on January Exit for West Brom's Jonny Evans

Liverpool have apparently unwittingly dealt a blow to top four rivals Arsenal in the transfer window, by loaning Daniel Sturridge to West Brom.

With Sturridge completing his loan move on Monday, the Baggies have been able to bring in a relatively low cost striking option for the remainder of the season without spending big.

And according to the Times, this means that there are no longer any financial incentives for West Brom to offload star defender Jonny Evans, who had previously been earmarked for a January exit to raise money for incoming transfers.

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Evans, who has a release clause of just £3m this summer if the Baggies are relegated, had been heavily linked with both Arsenal and Man City.

Arsene Wenger’s defensive options at the Emirates currently don’t look that enticing, with only Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal giving anything near an impressive performance recently.

With the added factor of Per Mertesacker set to retire at the end of the season, Wenger’s need to bring in a new centre-back is growing and missing out of a quality Premier League operator like Evans is a blow.

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Luckily for West Brom, they now look like they will keep hold of their captain as the 30-year-old continues to help his club fight relegation.

The Northern Ireland international has been a standout man for the Birmingham-based side this season and if there’s no financial incentive to get rid of him, he will in all likelihood stay put.

Arsenal could have a viable alternative, however, with reports suggesting that Brazilian defender David Luiz could be part of the deal that would see Olivier Giroud move across London to Chelsea.