Liverpool FC – It Would Be Only Wise Not To Sell Suarez This Summer

By Guest Author
11 years Ago

With the increasingly odd transfer saga spun by Luis Suarez refusing to come to an end, what should Liverpool FC’s stand be? : Hold on to him no matter what or get rid of a rebellious player ASAP?

ai???Liverpool want me to stay, but it would be difficult to say no to Real Madrid.ai???

The ai???will he, wonai??i??t heai??i?? question has been asked by journalists, supporters and anyone who hasAi??an opinion on Luis Suarez; i.e. nearly everyone. Pages of newsprint have been dedicated to thisAi??issue ever since he supposedly lamented the treatment he felt he received from the English pressAi??in an interview with a Uruguayan radio station on May 31. Reports of Luis Suarez wanting toAi??leave Liverpool have surfaced before El Pistolero was on international duty. Just as on previousAi??occasions, the club has reiterated that Suarez is still a Liverpool player until he submits a writtenAi??transfer request.

Waiting until the player returns to Melwood is a wise move. Meanwhile, the club has alreadyAi??signed two more players who can play in a variety of positions within the attacking third. If youAi??believe what Brendan Rodgers says these days, it is likely that more attacking reinforcementsAi??will arrive at Anfield soon. However, this situation bears a striking similarity to Arsenal signingAi??Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski early last summer. We all know what jersey Robin VanAi??Persie wore at the end of that transfer window.

There are certain facts that are well-known by now. Liverpool have not played a ChampionsAi??League game ever since Rafa Benitez left the club. The past three seasons have seen them furtherAi??away from Champions League football than before; except for a brief period under KennyAi??Dalglish. With regard to Luis Suarez, the man has missed a whopping 20 games for the Reds due toAi??bans and suspensions, an equivalent of a seasonai??i??s home games. While the player has expressedAi??his feelings via the media, his statements can easily be construed as a way to escape Anfield forAi??Champions League football. Hence, the ultimate decision on Suarezai??i??s future needs to be made byAi??the manager Brendan Rodgers as well as the American owners.

Destination Unknown: Madrid, Bayern or Juventus?

The scenario of Luis Suarez leaving is more a case of what is likely to happen. Should he beAi??sold, there is very little chance of the Reds selling him to another Premier League club; while SuarezAi??would prefer leaving England altogether. He would not be a very popular signing at most otherAi??English clubs either, at least with the fans. In that case, selling him to Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Juventus isAi??the only possible outcome.

But hereai??i??s the kicker ai??i?? Real Madrid have not bid for Luis Suarez. His ai???come and get meai??i?? pleasAi??have not attracted much interest from Bayern Munich or Juventus either.Ai??It so happened that Real Madrid were without a manager until Carlo Ancelotti recently agreed aAi??three-year deal with them. Until then, the transfer market was stuck in second gear due to doubtsAi??over the immediate future of Los Blancos and Paris Saint Germain. However, the stories of LuisAi??Suarezai??i??s club future have since dried up over the course of the Confederations Cup as attentionAi??has since been shifted his countryman Edinson Cavani. It is thought that the latter is now the firstAi??choice replacement for Gonzalo Higuain.

Bayern Munich seem to be a more likely destination. The Bavarians have just come off aAi??perfect season under Jupp Heynckes; and are as strong, financially, as Real. Moreover,Ai??Suarezai??i??s agent Pere Guardiola happens to be the brother of the new manager, who does not fancyAi??Mario Gomez. The playing system at the club is likely to undergo a minor surgery with theAi??manager likely to favour players who can play in more than one position. However, just as onAi??Real, there will be no 100% guarantees of being the first name being put down on the team sheet.

Rumours of Suarez joining Juventus have abound since the end of the 2011-12 season, as theAi??future of several players was unknown after Kenny Dalglish was let go. The Turin giants were inAi??need of a top striker at that time; but were snubbed by Robin Van Persie while Suarez signed aAi??long-term contract at Anfield. They did retain the Scudetto, and made a deep run in Europe butAi??still needed a top centre forward to provide that one final push to the summit that Bayern MunichAi??currently occupy. However, The Old Lady have already signed Fernando Llorente and CarlosAi??Tevez for a total outlay of A?8m and would be unwilling to break the bank to meet the askingAi??price that the Reds ask for.

Liverpool FC’s Dilemma

Liverpool are surely in the driving seat, here, at least now. So what do they do with Suarez?

Keeping his shenanigans aside, the Uruguayan brings four important qualities to Liverpool ai??i??Ai??goals (of course), the ability to create goal-scoring opportunities for others, a phenomenal workAi??rate and his passion. His contribution to the team is worth that of at least 2 players combined. ItAi??is for this reason that Liverpool would hold out for an asking price of at least A?40m.

But, itAi??would be stupid to attempt to try to ai???replaceai??i?? Suarez ai??i?? rather, his contribution to the squad mustAi??be compensated for by other players in the squad, new signings, or the possibility of youngAi??players coming through the Academy.Ai??Signing Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto is evidence that Liverpool are taking steps to solve thisAi??problem. Also, as there is no certainty that Adam Morgan and Samed Yesil would turn intoAi??prolific players at the senior level, we are likely to see more new arrivals at Anfield this month.

10 points in 4 games at the end of the season without Suarez has shown that the Reds are capableAi??of playing without him, if necessary. Not only did they notch three wins during that time, thereAi??was a visible fluidity in movement and coordination within the attacking third.

Should Suarez be sold, there will surely be an inflow of funds for reinvestment into the squad.Ai??The fear among Liverpool supporters is not thoroughly misplaced, given the clubai??i??s mixed recordAi??with transfer dealings in the recent past, with A?35m being blown away out of sheer panic onAi??deadline day once before.

Brendan Rodgers: Your Move

Brendan Rodgers and his team must take a leaf out of the playbook of Daniel Levy, or Sir AlexAi??Ferguson. The chairman of Tottenham Hotspur played hardball with Chelsea and refused to sellAi??Luka Modric on the cheap. Modric was then stayed at White Hart Lane and contributed to aAi??fantastic 2011-12 season; until he left for Real Madrid for a cool A?27m. On the other hand, Sir Alex used all his powers of persuasion to extract one last year out of Cristiano Ronaldo until theAi??transfer fee world record was broken in June 2009.

Keeping Suarez would send out a signal that Liverpool are not a club willing to sell their bestAi??players just because a great offer comes along. Moreover, selling him entails the need to makeAi??more than one new signing in order to replace his contribution on the field. Luis Suarez has aAi??contract running until June 2018 and will still have a sizeable market value in 2014. Hence, itAi??would be wise to try and extract one more season out of him in order to aid the clubai??i??s push for aAi??spot in the Champions League. In the worst case scenario, Suarez may force a move away fromAi??Anfield just as he did while at Groningen and at Ajax. But given that Liverpoolai??i??s performancesAi??are as unpredictable as Suarez, a successful 2013-14 campaign may make El Pistolero believeAi??that life in England isnai??i??t so bad after all.

– Keith Castelino

Categories: English Premier League, Liverpool FC
Tags: Bayern Munich Brendan Rodgers Juventus Luis Suarez Real Madrid

With the increasingly odd transfer saga spun by Luis Suarez refusing to come to an end, what should Liverpool FC’s stand be? : Hold on to him no matter what or get rid of a rebellious player ASAP?

Destination Unknown: Madrid, Bayern or Juventus?

Liverpool FC’s Dilemma

Brendan Rodgers: Your Move

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