Should Liverpool stand by Luis Suarez or should the Anfield club get rid of the Uruguayan striker?
YOU’RE Liverpool FC. What on earth do you do with Luis Suarez now that he is banned for four months and carrying so much excess baggage?
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YOU’RE Liverpool FC. Now what on earth do you do about Luis Suarez?
The four month ban dished out by FIFA has extraordinary implications for global football beyond the World Cup, with Liverpool now needing to decide whether or not to let their star commodity go, with some of Europe’s biggest powerhouses – and UEFA Champions League rivals – circling.
The ban will see him miss 13 Liverpool games but does not prevent him making a move in the transfer market and if the Anfield club can get something in the realm of $120m and/or a player (Chilean star Alexis Sanchez has been mooted) swap, they may be tempted.
FOUR MONTH BAN FOR URUGUAY AND LIVERPOOL STAR
SUAREZ: THE WORLD REACTS TO BAN
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told Sky Sports News: “I was in touch with both Barcelona and Real Madrid. I wanted to see first of all if there was going to be any official reaction – obviously not. And secondly I wanted to know if they would still be interested with the player. The answer was not very ambiguous - I think they will be, I am certain they will be.
“In the case of Barcelona, they think they are favourites for his signature. They think that this may make things much faster. But we will see – that is just speculation. What is for certain is that they would still like to sign the player.
“It is not ideal obviously but it is quite clear it has become a sporting and footballing decision as a priority in both cases. Conversations with Real Madrid have been taking place for quite a while and they thought they had an advantage over Barcelona. But it all changed over the last couple of months when the player let his representatives know that it was Barcelona that he wanted to go to.
“Barcelona are still the favourites to get him as half of his family – his parents in law live near Barcelona – and he goes there very often. His first daughter was born in Barcelona and his wife spends a lot of time in Barcelona. But it doesn’t close the door to Real Madrid and prior to this last incident he hadn’t closed the door to staying at Liverpool. But that seems difficult now.”
Liverpool’s chief executive, Ian Ayre, said after the suspension was handed down: “Liverpool Football Club will wait until we have seen and had time to review the FIFA Disciplinary Committee report before making any further comment.”
While Uruguay reels ahead of the round of 16 clash with Colombia, here’s the two options facing Liverpool ahead of the Premier League season and their return to the UCL.
WHY HE MUST GO
Enough is enough. Liverpool cannot sully its reputation with such a player, especially if it can get a good price for him.
Why pay someone his exorbitant wages to spend 13 games, including a derby and three Champions League ties, in the stands, with the accompanying circus he will bring next season? They already went through this saga last season after the Branislav Ivanovic nibble - and if anything, this has shown a leopard can’t change his spot. Is it possible to truly rehabilitate and reform this troubled talent?
Writing in the Daily Mail, former teammate Jamie Carragher said: “Now you get the feeling that Liverpool might actually be relieved if Barcelona or Real come in with a bid that triggers a move.
“If a lucrative offer arrives in the next few weeks, I am convinced Suarez will be playing his football somewhere else next season.”
A couple of Liverpool legends show how torn the Anfield faithful will be until a decision is made.
Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler said: “It’s a real, real tough predicament that most Liverpool fans are in.
“They love him as a player, but what he does, he’s continually dragging the club’s name through the mud.
“It’s not right, especially after what they did with him last time when they’ve come out and supported him and tried to rehabilitate him. You can’t defend him.
“Off the pitch he’s a lovely fellow. He does so much work for charity, does so much in the community for Liverpool, and I love him as a player, but you cannot condone what he has done.
“It’s just not right, is it? I wouldn’t be surprised if he went now.”
Phil Thompson said: “You think of the support the guy has had from [manager] Brendan Rodgers, [owner] John Henry and the majority of the fans at Liverpool.
“He’s had massive support. It was like a kick in the face.
“I still find the incident in Natal completely bizarre. I worked with Luis every day for two-and-a-half years at Liverpool and if you spent time in his company at Melwood, you would struggle to believe he was capable of such ridiculous moments.”
WHY HE MUST STAY
During the 10-match ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013, Liverpool won seven times, drew two and lost one, across all competitions.
So they can win without him. But they can challenge for honours with him.
Brendan Rodgers and the Liverpool heavies will be asking themselves: why should we be punished for the loyalty and perseverance we showed the trouble maker, only to burnt.
And then, possibly, have to face him in the Champions League he helped qualify the club for.
There will be plenty focusing on Liverpool’s moral responsibility to do away with Suarez, but why should he be rewarded for his sins with a move to his dream club, especially when Liverpool might not get the best price for him due to the excess baggage he’s carrying again.
Writing in London’s Telegrpah, Alan Hansen said: “If a £100,000 journeyman player had done something similar, he would have been out of the door without a second thought.
“But the rules are different for £100 million players and you can bet that Real Madrid or Barcelona would sign Suárez tomorrow if Liverpool decided to get rid on the back of the incident with Chiellini.”
As last season showed, Brendan Rodgers seems capable of controlling Suarez. He looked settled on the way to scoring 31 goals; his son, Benjamin, was allowed onto the pitch before a game in October, for example, and he was made captain when Steven Gerrard was absent.
Hansen continued: “Manchester United would never have considered selling Eric Cantona after he jumped into the crowd at Crystal Palace and I cannot imagine that Liverpool will, for one second, contemplate washing their hands of Suárez.
“They stood by him after Ivanovic, but Suárez is now worth even more to Liverpool, so it will not even enter their minds to cast aside their most valuable asset.
“They will give him one last chance, again, because Brendan Rodgers and the Liverpool owners will know that any prospects they have of winning the Premier League next season will be gone if Suárez leaves.”
Originally published as Should Liverpool stand by Luis Suarez or should the Anfield club get rid of the Uruguayan striker?
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