It takes a certain type of bond for a club and its star player to turn a page and start afresh following a rough, rocky and ugly patch. With Liverpool and Luis Suarez, there may be something positive to work with, now that signs indicate the player will be staying – for the time being at least. But it’s doubtful that it’s a completely new page in the Suarez-Liverpool story.
An indictment of the modern game is that clubs need to prove their worth to their own players. Arsenal have been down that path many times in the past, with the most recent episode culminating in Robin van Persie publically outlining the difference in view for the way in which the club should move forward.
With Suarez, the player clearly wants Champions Leaguefootball, but importantly also a future away from Anfield. As talented as he is – for some, among the best in the world – he has never had a full campaign in the Champions League. There is a desire to battle alongside the leading names in European football, with international teammates both echoing and voicing their own opinions on the matter.
But obviously Liverpool don’t have that on offer at this time. The club are spending wisely and look to continue to do so before the window closes on September 2nd, but does the player have that affinity with the club to alter his views on the immediate future? He wants Real Madrid above all else, much like many from South America do. Based on what’s formed the basis of this transfer saga, Champions League football is at the head of his priorities, not forming part of a building project to attain that in a few years. Though for a player of his calibre, a consistent charge on league titles would also be a priority, probably even more so.
You’d certainly feel that Liverpool would accept a sizeable bid from Real Madrid, something in the region of £60 million. The club have continued to work on the field without the Uruguayan, despite appearances in preseason, and the formation of a promising, young attack is keeping him out of mind for now.
But Liverpool and Suarez’s ambitions simply do not fall in line with one another – similar ambitions, obviously, but both are not on the same wavelength. The club have followed a formula in the market and sought to strengthen their climb up the Premier League table. Even with the apparent U-turn in the saga, Liverpool still appear to be chasing a big-money signing, suggested by their interest in Willian. You’d have to ask whether the club would sound out players like the Brazilian if they felt Suarez would be a long-term fixture in the team.
Steven Gerrard may have acted as peacemaker between the player and Brendan Rodgers, and sure, Liverpool will have an even better chance of securing a place in the top four this season with the Uruguayan in the squad, but that doesn’t mean that this story has been put to bed. Suarez doesn’t strike you as a player who will remain settled for a prolonged period of time. Sure, he spent nearly five years at Ajax, but his previous two clubs only saw a year of him each, while Liverpool could lose him two-and-a-half years after signing him. He has no prior affiliation with Liverpool, and with Real Madrid extremely prominent in his mind, it doesn’t appear that there is a basis for a long-term future with Liverpool, with or without Champions League football.
Has Rodgers done enough to convince Suarez to stay?
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