The time may have come for Liverpool to simply let Luis Suarez go and to find a replacement.
The striker has been coveted by some very big European sides but all along Liverpool have maintained their official ‘hands off’ approach to various rumours, instantly rejecting an offer from Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal.
They have named him in their pre-season tour group to travel to Asia and Australia but that doesn’t seem to have made any difference to the stories and the player himself has admitted that one phone call can change the entire situation.
Brendan Rodgers is adopting a very belligerent stance on the matter, which you’d expect and it’s perfectly reasonable because he is after all, the Liverpool manager and he obviously doesn’t want to lose one of his best players.
“Luis Suarez is a wonderful player and he is still very much a Liverpool player. No matter who the player is, nobody is bigger than Liverpool Football Club,” said Rodgers.
The problem Liverpool face is having a potentially unhappy player in their squad if things don’t pan out the way the boss expects them to over the first chunk of the season.
Suarez has always maintained his love and admiration for Liverpool and the supporters. That’s not the issue he has, the issue he has is winning trophies and playing in the Champions League.
It’s difficult to judge because the season hasn’t even started yet but Suarez is just like any other player and if he’s not completely happy at Anfield, Liverpool won’t get the best out of him.
He clearly has big concerns over the current side’s ability to break into the top four and mix it alongside the likes of the two Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
“We had an offer that was nowhere near what we value him at. Of course he wants to work and play at the top level. But unless something drastic happens, he will be staying here. He has got three years left on his contract,” added Rodgers.
He’s also made his problem with the British press very clear and the magnifying glass is always going to be on him while he stays at Liverpool and English football.
That may seem like a daft point considering he’d stay in England if he went to Arsenal but the Gunners could offer him the Champions League football he craves to act against the stick from the British press.
Liverpool may be better served with different players looking to prove a point and players who don’t have any external issues with things that don’t have anything physical to do with the football.
Rodgers is not naïve trying to get Suarez to stay, it’s what any smart manager would do because Suarez is that important to the current Liverpool side.
The point is with everything Rodgers is trying to achieve and the way he’s trying to develop the team, he needs everyone who plays for him to be fully committed and certain that they want to play for Liverpool.
Would it be better for all parties if Suarez just moved on?
image: © RuaraidhG
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