SUAREZ DOESN'T OWE LIVERPOOL ANYTHING
StrumSolo > 12/08/2013, 14:41
A quick Google search of ‘Suarez loyalty’ will point you in the direction of countless articles quoting the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Jamie Carragher as they have their say on the Uruguayan’s current situation. The general gist being that Liverpool have gone well above and beyond for their man, and such commitment needs to be repaid. While that argument holds up to a point, a decent run of games opposed to weeks/months sitting around suspended isn’t too much to ask for, the idea that Liverpool have selflessly stood by him is nonsense.
On the surface, the T-shirts and countless messages of support in the face of media uproar over the last couple of years can seem like a brave stance on the part of the club. That is until you look at the alternative scenarios:
1. Luis Suarez is found guilty of racism/biting, the club cancel his contract and he rolls up somewhere else on a free transfer. That’s the £22m they paid for him down the drain, and they also wave goodbye to a potential £40-50m windfall from selling him.
2. The club publicly condemn his actions and put him on the transfer list. Everyone knows they want rid and the bids don’t go any higher than £15-20m.
Ask yourself how the club would respond if an unknown player in their under-18s had behaved in the same way? Do you think he’d still be there? It’s unlikely.
All Liverpool have done here is protect the value of their biggest asset, and the support they’ve given him is nothing more than a negotiating tool. By the time he bit Ivanovic, it was pretty clear that they wouldn’t be troubling the Champions League places, so also pretty clear that Suarez would want to leave this summer. You don’t wash your hands of someone 3 or 4 months before they’ll be on their way regardless. So Graeme, Kenny, Jamie; save us the loyalty schtick please.