The transfer saga involving Arsenal, Liverpool and Luis Suarez was one for the ages.
It was the summer of 2013, and Arsene Wenger’s side were desperate to make a statement signing to go to the next level.
After Olivier Giroud’s disappointing debut campaign, Arsenal decided they wanted to sign a new striker, and Suarez became their top target.
What followed was an interesting bid.
Arsene Wenger tried to sign these players and missed out. If you could bring one to Arsenal today, in their prime, who are you choosing and why?
Big names Arsene Wenger tried to sign for Arsenal and failed:
- Lionel Messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- N’Golo Kante
- Gareth Bale
- Jamie Vardy
Luis Suarez explains why he changed his mind about joining Arsenal
Luis Suarez was one of the best strikers in the Premier League when he was at Liverpool.
The Uruguayan terrorised defences to no end and scored a ton of goals for his side on a consistent basis.
Wenger liked what he saw from Suarez and decided to make a move for him in the summer of 2013, but that didn’t go down well.
Arsenal were made to believe that the Liverpool striker would be available for sale if a bid in excess of £40 million was made.
Instead of tabling a £41 million offer, the Gunners thought it would be a good idea to bid £40,000,001 for Suarez instead.
That, unsurprisingly, annoyed Liverpool, but their stance didn’t matter in the end because Suarez himself changed his mind.
The reason? Steven Gerrard convinced him to stay.
Speaking about Julian Alvarez saying he wants to leave Atletico Madrid, Suarez told Cadena Ser: “The same thing happened to me in Liverpool. I said I wanted to go to Arsenal.
“Steven Gerrard came and convinced me I had to stay. He told me that if I had a great year, they would help me go to Barcelona, Madrid or Bayern, wherever I wanted.
“I was convinced. I apologised for my statements. I gave myself completely to Liverpool, and after three games, they already loved me, and it was my best season there.”
Arsene Wenger would’ve won another Premier League title if Luis Suarez had joined them
Arsenal sold Robin van Persie in 2012, and from that point until Alexis Sanchez started playing through the middle, they lacked goals from their striker.
As good as Giroud was, he just wasn’t capable of scoring 25 or 30 goals a season.
Suarez was very different, which is why if the Uruguayan had joined the Gunners in 2013, we are convinced they would’ve won the Premier League at least another time under Wenger.
Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be, and Suarez went on to Barcelona and ended up becoming one of the best strikers in the world there.
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