Former Liverpool star Luis Suarez has confirmed that the only reason why he didn’t join Arsenal last season was because of captain Steven Gerrard’s request.
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The Uruguayan, now at Barcelona, attracted the interest of Arsene Wenger last summer and was subject of a £40m+£1 bid from the Gunners, which infuriated the hierarchy at Anfield, in particular Liverpool owner John Henry.
But it was the relationship with Gerrard that convinced the forward to snub a move to the Emirates:
“He knew a lot about football.” he told Cadena Cope (via Daily Star)
“When I had the chance to join Arsenal, he told me not to. Gestures like that from him really helped me a lot.”
“For all his experience and what that means; Gerrard. He taught me a lot, helped me make decisions, when I thought I was doing things wrong, he helped me realise I was right.” the former Kop star added.
Suarez went on to stay at Anfield for one more season, where he scored 33 goals in 31 league appearances, but that wasn’t enough to secure a first title for Reds in over two decades.
His absence has been sorely missed on Merseyside this year, as last season’s runners-up stuttered at the start of the campaign, but after putting together a 13-game unbeaten run in the league, they were back in the shout to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
But back-to-back defeats against Manchester United and Arsenal has left them seven points off the top-four with just seven games remaining.