Luis Suarez has revealed that Steven Gerrard talked him out of a move to Arsenal in 2013, paving the way for him to become an all-time great later in his career.
Suarez is among the most talented players to have ever represented the Reds, having spent three-and-a-half years at Anfield.
He came agonisingly close to inspiring Liverpool to the Premier League title in 2013/14 but he could easily not have been at the club that year.
Speaking to streamer Davoo Xeneize, Suarez explained how Gerrard told him not to join the Gunners, which led to him moving to Barcelona 12 months later instead.
“In 2013 I wanted to join Arsenal, because Arsenal played every year in the Champions League,” Suarez explained.
“They were willing to pay a lot for me, but in England, it wouldn’t have looked good to swap Liverpool for Arsenal.
“One day Gerrard came to me and said: ‘Listen to me, I could have gone to Madrid or another team, but the best decision is for you to stay and not go to Arsenal, it won’t do you any good.
“‘Stay and next year you will get offers from bigger clubs like Barcelona, Madrid and Bayern. And then you can decide. But don’t join Arsenal. Stay for another season.'”
This proved to be salient advice from Gerrard, not least because Suarez moving to Arsenal would have tainted his Liverpool legacy.
What followed was one of the great individual seasons by a Reds player, with the striker bagging 31 goals and 12 assists in just 33 Premier League appearances.
In truth, it was hard to begrudge Suarez his move after that campaign, especially as the Reds dropped off alarmingly under Brendan Rodgers in 2014/15.
He went on to enjoy an incredible career at the Nou Camp, scoring 195 goals in 283 appearances, sitting third behind only Lionel Messi (672) and Cesar Rodriguez (226) in the all-time charts.
Thankfully, Suarez didn’t join Arsenal instead, considering what a huge asset he would have been there.
The Gunners did themselves no favours in their pursuit, bidding £40 million+£1 for him, which famously led to John Henry tweeting: “What do you think they’re smoking over there at Emirates?”
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