Even Liverpool fans have a limit, at least according to Scott:
Belatedly, I have thrown in the towel on Luis Suarez. The “one-more-year” drum I have been banging all summer is now nothing more than a cacophonous, regretful waste of time. Despite previously waxing awkwardly poetic on the flawed man and hoping he would stay to see Liverpool secure Champions League play, I now say hold out for £50M then use the proceeds judiciously.
For me, it is not just that Suarez has now publicly commented in the English press that he wants away. Rather, it is the different tune he is singing now that Arsenal have made their ardent affections known. Before, it was the prying British media, who dared not to give him a pass on his outrageous behavior, that was driving him from England. But when that ridiculous assessment of his situation was followed by contract disclosure to Arsenal by somebody (£40M and 1 pound? Really?), it now has nothing to do with the media. Now, with an EPL rival calling, it is all about Champions League play, prying media aside.
Maybe Arsenal is Suarez' only realistic Champions League landing place and, with an elite player's normal peak playing years limited as they are, maybe it is his best move. Still, it smacks of hypocrisy.
Suarez has claimed there was an oral agreement to let him go if Liverpool did not qualify for the Champions League, and Brendan Rodgers has publicly refuted that assertion. It will be interesting to see what happens with this transfer saga that even seems to eclipse Gareth Bale's in media attention.
Fortunately, even if the disgruntled Uruguayan somehow stays until January or next summer, I expect he will always play hard. As Branislav Ivanovic knows, his appetite for winning is not easily sated.
This is farlieonfootie for August 9.
No comments:
Post a Comment