Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has revealed former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard convinced him to reject move to Arsenal in 2013.
At the time Suarez was in deep trouble, serving a ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic and wanted to move away from the Reds after they failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Suarez’s move to Barcelona: Five key things to know…
- Suarez had notched 23 goals in 33 games when he was seeking a move to Arsenal at the end of the 2012/13 season.
- But the Uruguayan has revealed Kop legend Gerrard convinced him to say at Liverpool, reassuring him that he would “take off” and court interest from Europe’s elite.
- Suarez did indeed “take off” and scored 31 goals in 33 Premier League games in his final season with Liverpool almost leading them to the title.
- The Uruguayan headed to Barcelona shortly after for £65m in 2014, despite more disciplinary problems.
- Suarez has scored 172 goals in 236 appearances for Barcelona so far, winning three league titles, four Spanish cups and the Champions League.
But according to the 32-year-old, Gerrard – Liverpool’s captain at the time – convinced him to remain at the club by persuading him that the grass would not be greener in north London.
“We qualified for the UEFA Europa League but the season ended badly,” Suarez told OTRO, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.
“I’m about to go to Arsenal, forcing myself to go, and Steven tells me: ‘I promise that if you stay this year you’re going to take off and next year you’ll go to Bayern, Barcelona, Real Madrid or whichever one you want, but stay this year because you won’t be better off at Arsenal’.”
Suarez added: “This was the last conversation I had with Gerrard at that moment and I told my agent that I had made my decision and I was staying.
“His words convinced me in that moment. They came from a person who cared for me, who wanted my well-being, who saw me suffer during training and saw me sad.
“They were words from a true captain that had an impact in that moment and helped me a lot.”
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Could Suarez move back to Liverpool?
Suarez is having another prolific season in front of goal for the Catalans, notching 17 strikes in the league so far and assisting another five for his team mates.
The forward has achieved all he can achieve in Spain, winning three La Liga titles and one Champions League. The Uruguayan has previously entertained a move back to Merseyside to play in front of Liverpool’s “incredible” atmosphere.
“You never know what will happen in the future. If I was to return to England, it would be to play for Liverpool – not for any other team,” he said in January.
“I’ve missed the fans. The atmosphere is incredible, it’s incredible.
“Everyone who has played for Liverpool knows how important the fans are – they know they will always be in my heart.”
The post Luis Suarez: How “true captain” Steven Gerrard convinced me to reject Arsenal for Liverpool appeared first on Squawka News.
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