How Rodgers and Gerrard robbed Arsenal of Liverpool star Suarez
Luis Suarez returned to former club Liverpool on Wednesday with his Atletico Madrid side in the Champions League.
It proved to be an unhappy night for club and player as the Reds ran out comfortable 2-0 winners after Atletico went down to 10 men.
The Uruguayan joined Liverpool from Ajax in 2011 and was immediately under pressure to fill the boots vacated by Fernando Torres' £50million move to Chelsea.
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And, the cunning striker did that and more, scoring an impressive 82 goals in just 133 appearances.
But history could have been so different had an audacious move by Arsenal not been thwarted by then Anfield manager Brendan Rogers.
What is the story behind the Arsenal bid?
During his Liverpool spell, Suarez surprisingly never played in the Champions League.
At the same time, the Gunners were ever-present at Europe's top club competition and were confident they could convince the Uruguayan to swap Liverpool for London.
I liked his conviction, the philosophy he wanted to implement at the club, so I talked to my agent and the club to say that I didn't want to leave, that I wanted another opportunity to be successful at Liverpool
- A release clause in Suarez's contract meant any offer over £40m would be accepted by Liverpool. That clause prompted a cheeky Arsenal bid of £40m plus £1, meaning it all rested on Suarez and where his ambitions lay.
What did Rodgers say to Suarez?
In considering his options, Suarez recalled something Rodgers had told him a year prior.
“I think I’d been at Liverpool for a year and a half when Brendan took charge in July 2012, Suarez told UEFA.com.
"Back then, I had opportunities to sign for other clubs who were getting in contact with me, but he phoned me when I was in Uruguay on holiday, to tell me that he had another way of thinking.
"He wanted to change the club and its philosophy, that he wanted the club to get back in the Champions League and fight to win big trophies, that he was going to make the team play great football.
"He asked me to believe and trust him. I enjoyed that chat.
"I liked his conviction, the philosophy he wanted to implement at the club, so I talked to my agent and the club to say that I didn't want to leave, that I wanted another opportunity to be successful at Liverpool."
Despite the war cry from Rodgers, his debut season in 2012/13 would see the club finish seventh and Arsenal came calling.
"That year wasn't as good as we wanted, but ideas were already pretty clear," Suarez added.
"So then the 2012/13 season goes by, and I wanted to sign for Arsenal, since Arsenal had played in the Champions League every season prior to that."
Steven Gerrard would then have some wise words for the conflicted Suarez that would see the striker reject a move to the Emirates.
“I had some further discussions with the coach, as well as with Gerrard. He was the one that convinced me," he explained.
“I told him I wanted to keep being successful, that I wanted to play in the Champions League.
“So, he said to me, ‘If this year we keep improving as we have been, and you’re at the level you have to be, next year you’ll be able to play for Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, or whatever club you like. You’ll have the chance to choose but stay for one more year’."
Was Gerrard right?
Mystic Gerrard called it and Suarez would sign for Barcelona in 2014 in a deal worth £75m and win the Champions League in his first season, scoring in the 2015 final win over Juventus.
