Revealed: Arsene Wenger opens up on how close he was to signing Luis Suarez from Liverpool
Arsene Wenger has revealed the details behind Arsenal’s failed bid to sign Luis Suarez from Liverpool, as he confirmed the Uruguayan had agreed to make the move to the Gunners in the summer of 2013.
Arsenal famously bid £1 over the £40m buy-out clause Suarez was believed to have in his Liverpool contract, with Wenger claiming in an interview with beIN Sports that the striker was ‘very close’ to becoming at Arsenal player.
Liverpool officials were furious with Arsenal’s attempts to sign their star player and blocked the move, inspiring Suarez to do all he could to try and engineer a move away from Anfield before finally agreeing to stay for a final season.
Now Wenger had opened up on the story for the first time, with his version of events suggesting a deal for the striker now at Barcelona was within touching distance.
“We had an agreement with the players and we had been wrongly advised that he had a clause (in his contract),” stated Wenger.
“You can ask the player. He will confirm that he wanted to join us.
“Then they kept him one more year, improved his contract and promised to sell him to a club abroad.”
Wenger went on to criticise Suarez’s disciplinary issues, as he suggested the striker who has been caught biting opponents on the field on three separate occasions deserved to be punished.
“It’s not normal, you cannot accept that,” said Wenger of Suarez’s antics. “He had some behaviours that were shocking. He deserved to be punished.
“I think, as well, you don’t see them any more for the last two or three years. He got rid of all the things that were a handicap for him and you don’t see that any more.
“He is still borderline in terms of what strikers do, going down in the box, but you want that from an intelligent striker.
Arsene Wenger has revealed the details behind Arsenal’s failed bid to sign Luis Suarez from Liverpool, as he confirmed the Uruguayan had agreed to make the move to the Gunners in the summer of 2013.
Arsenal famously bid £1 over the £40m buy-out clause Suarez was believed to have in his Liverpool contract, with Wenger claiming in an interview with beIN Sports that the striker was ‘very close’ to becoming at Arsenal player.
Liverpool officials were furious with Arsenal’s attempts to sign their star player and blocked the move, inspiring Suarez to do all he could to try and engineer a move away from Anfield before finally agreeing to stay for a final season.
Now Wenger had opened up on the story for the first time, with his version of events suggesting a deal for the striker now at Barcelona was within touching distance.
“We had an agreement with the players and we had been wrongly advised that he had a clause (in his contract),” stated Wenger.
“You can ask the player. He will confirm that he wanted to join us.
“Then they kept him one more year, improved his contract and promised to sell him to a club abroad.”
Wenger went on to criticise Suarez’s disciplinary issues, as he suggested the striker who has been caught biting opponents on the field on three separate occasions deserved to be punished.
“It’s not normal, you cannot accept that,” said Wenger of Suarez’s antics. “He had some behaviours that were shocking. He deserved to be punished.
“I think, as well, you don’t see them any more for the last two or three years. He got rid of all the things that were a handicap for him and you don’t see that any more.
“He is still borderline in terms of what strikers do, going down in the box, but you want that from an intelligent striker.
