Ramsey replacement for Arsenal? Europa League-winning No.6 could be more open to an Emery reunion

Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez has admitted he is currently unhappy at the club, amid links with Arsenal.

Suarez, 24, has played just three times for Barcelona this season, the most recent coming in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Why is Suarez so unhappy? Five key things to know…

  1. Denis Suarez initially joined Barcelona from Manchester City in 2013, as a 19-year-old.
  2. The Spaniard would spend a year with Barcelona B before being loaned out to Sevilla for a season.
  3. Suarez was then sold to Villarreal, before being bought back a year later, and has made 66 appearances for Barcelona to date.
  4. But the midfielder has yet to make much of an impact this season and has admitted it is beginning to make him unhappy.
  5. Suarez is yet to make an appearance in La Liga this season, amid claims from RAC1 that Arsenal and AC Milan are keen on signing him.

Two of Suarez’ three appearances have come in the Copa del Rey, both from the start, while the Spaniard has also featured for 10 minutes in the Champions League.

But, having made 18 La Liga appearances last season, Suarez is unhappy with his lack of playing time and will wait to see what happens after his two goals against Lenoesa.

“The coach [Ernesto Valverde] said that the Lenoesa game was a test for those who do not play regularly, so we will see on Saturday if I have passed,” he told reporters, via Goal.

“I work to play, if I do not play we’ll see. I’m not happy, because I’m not playing and it’s what I want, to play.”

Suarez also had a slight dig at Barcelona’s transfer policy, feeling they do not have to keep looking elsewhere to improve their squad with quality within the reserves.

He added: “It is not necessary to go and look for players outside with the level and the quality that exists in reserve.”

Suarez’s admissions come just weeks after the midfielder was linked with a move to Arsenal in January, with Unai Emery reportedly keen on bringing him back to the Premier League.

Could Denis Suarez leave Barcelona for Arsenal?

Taking the No.6 after Xavi’s departure, expectations were always going to be high for Suarez, though the Spaniard has not truly lived up to them.

In the summer, with Andres Iniesta also leaving Barcelona, Suarez may have fancied his chances of replacing the Barcelona legend, insisting this would be his year.

“A step forward will be demanded of me and I know I have to take one,” he said in July.

“I believe I have the ability to do so and I go into the season with a lot of excitement.”

At the time, Suarez also revealed he held discussions with manager Ernesto Valverde, adding: “I have spoken with him in the same way that other teammates have. My intention is to remain here and his intention is for me to stay.

“I’ll try to convince him from the start of what I am capable of doing.”

But the arrivals of Arturo Vidal and Arthur have seen Suarez drop right back to the peripheries, from which he has only made a La Liga matchday squad on four occasions this season.

Furthermore, following Rafinha’s long-term injury, Carles Alena was officially promoted to the Barcelona first team, adding another name in front of Suarez.

As things stand, Arsenal are set to lose midfielder Aaron Ramsey on a free transfer next summer when his current deal expires, with the north London club having revoked a previous contract offer.

Suarez won the Europa League under Unai Emery in 2015 and over the course of the campaign, the Arsenal head coach praised his player’s impact at the quarter-final stage, when Barcelona’s No.6 secured a comeback win for Sevilla against Zenit St. Petersburg.

The post Denis Suarez unhappy at Barcelona amid Arsenal links appeared first on Squawka News.



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