Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he is "convinced" Luis Suarez was keen to move to the Emirates Stadium from Liverpool in 2013.The Uruguay international was the subject of a bid for40 million and one pound from the Gunners at the time, with a release clause in the players contract believed to have been triggered. However, Liverpool dug their heels in, keeping the player for another season before he joined Barcelona."It was very close, we had an agreement with the player," Wenger told beIN Sports (h/t Mattias Karen of ESPN).The Frenchman continued: "We had been wrongly advised that he had a clause, you know, with a minimum [price]. But we had an agreement with the player. You can ask him. I'm convinced that he wanted to join us. And then they kept him for one more year, they improved his contract and promised to sell him a year later to a club abroad."As we can see here courtesy of BBCs Neil Henderson, Suarez made his intentions clear to the Guardians Sid Lowe that he wanted out of Anfield:However, Liverpool stood firm, with the clubs owner, John W. Henry, taking to social media after the aforementioned bid to say, "What do you think they're smoking over there at Emirates'"The following season, Suarez went on to have the campaign of his life, inspiring a Liverpool title push with a string of sensational displays. Eventually the team came up just short, with poor results against Chelsea and Crystal Palace opening the door for Manchester City, who went on to finish top.This graphic from WhoScored.com summed up just how impressive Suarez was that season, putting together one of the finest individual campaigns the Premier League has ever seen:For Arsenal, not getting the striker is obviously a huge miss. While hes a player thats been involved in controversieshe was serving a10-game ban for biting Chelseas Branislav Ivanovic at the time of Arsenal's offerSuarez has proven himself to be a tremendous footballer.Since leaving Liverpool, hes continued to improve at Camp Nou, making one of the finest attacks in world football even better. Suarez, alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, has helped fire Barca to two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey crowns and the UEFA Champions League in his debut term.Per Squawka Football, only two giants of this generation have been more prolific than the 30-year-old over the past five years:Arsenals search for a centre-forward since their pursuit of Suarez has never been really been completed. Indeed, its only this season that the Gunners have had a world-class option in the position, moving Alexis Sanchez in off the flank to lead the line.Even so, the Chilean doesnt quite measure up to Suarez. The Uruguayans ferocity, intelligence and will to win would have potentially given Arsenal the crucial boost they still require in pursuit of the games top honours.
Click here to read full news..
