Luis Suárez

[Fredo]

Defo Uruguay - Italy, could be an epic and dirty. Saw a Hodgson interview on SSN earlier already absolving himself of any blame tonight incase they lose. "I'm giving these players this fanastic opportunity, as a manager I cant do any more than that, I hope they dont let me down".

He's such a ****.

[fah-q]

"Once more unto the breach dear friends"

[Cormack74]

Last thing we want is Luis having a stormer tonight.

A quiet game and Uruguay being knocked out would be ideal so Barca or RM or whoever can get excited about someone else for the rest of the tournament.

[Norbs]

His brass neck is incredible

I particularly liked the comment he made that it'd take 6 years to mould these players in to a winning team. Total cuntflap of a man

[BrooklynRed]

Anyone able to paste in today's Tony Barrett blog post online in the Times?

@TonyBarretTimes: Liverpool remain calm over Luis Suarez's future despite reemergence of background noise: http://t.co/3LBMDPbGEB

[Lecter]

Doubts resurface over Luis Suarez’s future but Liverpool remain calm
Tony Barrett
June 24 2014 12:06PM





Last September, Luis Suarez’s attempts to regain match fitness towards the end of a ten-match ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic saw him take part in a behind closed doors match between Liverpool’s under-21 team and Barnsley’s development squad.

Those present have two vivid memories – the characteristic effort that Suarez put in and the number of times that his wife’s father, Gustavo Balbi, set off the alarm in the forward’s car which was parked at pitchside.

Yesterday then, was not the first time that noises made by Suarez’s father-in-law have caused distraction at Liverpool. Balbi’s claims that “the best solution” for the forward would be “to go to Spain” can be viewed a number of ways.

One is that he merely wants to have his family closer to him, an understandable urge for any father and grandfather. But another is that Balbi is playing a compliant role in an unravelling strategy, the aim of which is to ensure that Suarez forces through a move to either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

In one sense, there is nothing new in Suarez’s desire to ply his trade in La Liga. It has been his stated ambition for considerable time, one that he has articulated on many occasions and when he has not, those in his inner circle (most recently his solicitor, Alejandro Balbi) have done it on his behalf. “If there is such a big offer from Real Madrid, it would be very difficult to say no,” the lawyer said recently. “Luis Suarez has always had a predisposition for Spain.”

Liverpool are as aware as everyone else, though, that it is highly unlikely and bordering on implausible that one of Suarez’s closest family members and his solicitor would speak out in such a manner unless they had his consent.

Given Suarez has been engaged in media duties for Uruguay at the World Cup, the 27-year-old has also had opportunity to distance himself from their comments but has not done so. The only conclusion to be drawn, as was the case when he started to agitate for a transfer last summer, is that a game has begun, one that he hopes will culminate in a dream move to Spain.

That, though, is not a foregone conclusion. It is anything but – which is why the sounds that are coming out of Suarez’s camp are far less aggressive than they were a year ago when he tried to force a transfer to Arsenal.

This time around, the message is that while Suarez would love to play for Real or Barcelona, he would be happy to remain at Anfield if a move failed to come off. The days of bridges being burned and Suarez making himself persona non grata at Anfield, temporarily at least, appear to be gone and instead there is a more diplomatic attempt to secure a move that will give the Uruguay forward ample opportunity to row back to shore if he does not get what he wants.

In that respect, lessons have clearly been learned. Suarez and his agent, Pere Guardiola, had expected Real to come with an offer last summer but it never transpired as Florentino Perez placed all of his eggs in Gareth Bale’s basket. Player and club had been eyeing one another up for months but when it came down to it, Real failed to make a move. That is a situation which Suarez does not want to be in again. Nor does he want to agitate publicly for a transfer if the only genuine suitors turn out to be one of Liverpool’s rival Premier League clubs, as happened last year when Arsenal launched a ham-fisted and ultimately unsuccessfully bid to sign him.



So while Barcelona and Real continue to make the right noises, Suarez is hoping not to have to go public on his own desires unless and until one of them makes a concrete offer, particularly having learned the hard way that John W Henry, Liverpool’s principal owner, is ready and willing to play hardball. All of which leaves us watching the formative stages of what could yet turn out to be a phoney war, one that may well have the potential to lead to a transfer of seismic proportions but one which could equally lead to nothing at all.

A crucial difference this time is that Suarez now has a buyout clause that rival clubs can exploit. That was a key condition of his advisers when he signed a new contract in December who wanted to avoid a repeat of the events of last summer when Suarez was denied a move to Arsenal because a £40 million contract clause forced Liverpool only to open negotiations rather than sell him.

There is now greater clarity, but there is also a higher asking price, thought to be in the region of £80 million. It remains to be seen whether Real, Barcelona or both are ready to spend that much on a player who, though now established as one of the very best in world football, would have to pay a significant excess for all the baggage he would have to take with him to either Spanish city.

As things stand, Liverpool continue to anticipate that Suarez will still be their player when the transfer window closes. Their level of certainty, though, has diminished as it has become increasingly clear that Suarez is hitching his skirt up to Real and Barcelona and they are flirting with him.

As such, Liverpool have registered an interest in Alexis Sanchez with Barcelona as a contingency in case Suarez gets his wish. But, at this stage, that is what it remains. Liverpool have had no offers for him and nor are they seeking any. As things stand, the pronouncements of his father-in-law and solicitor and the all too transparent media leaks represent nothing but background noise, albeit an ominous one.

No conspiracy

Not everything relating to Suarez requires a conspiracy theory. Not everything he says is an attempt to force a transfer or evidence of an ingrate who refuses to take responsibility for his own actions. Sometimes the words he speaks really do get lost in translation, are misunderstood or remain under-explained. His latest comments about “the English media” are merely the latest example of a breakdown in communication that shows no signs of being repaired.

Speaking after Uruguay’s 2-1 win over England and prior to their crucial group game against Italy, Suarez rounded on those who he feels have targeted him with undue severity. “Too many people in England laughed about my attitude over the last few years,” he said last week, an assertion that led many in this country to accused the forward of being an ingrate who is as incapable of facing up to his own faults as he is of recognising the goodwill that was shown to him in various quarters last season.



Yesterday, the theme continued. “What happened before the [England] match‚ I did not want to attack anybody, only some of the media started making fun of me and you are in the media,” he said to an English journalist. “You should know what happened and why they did that to me.” Already, this has been interpreted by some as either as part or a strategy aimed at securing a move to Real Madrid or Barcelona or as evidence of an ongoing lack of contrition for past sins.

The reality, according to those who know Suarez best, is that his recent outbursts are the result of his anger at what he feels was an unfair attack on him by one English newspaper on the day that Uruguay faced England. “Time To Bite Back” was the headline in The Sun that day with the front page also featuring a stunted picture of Daniel Sturridge, Wayne Rooney and Raheem Sterling baring fangs and a sub deck urging “Let’s Have Suarez For Dinner Lads”. Suarez was shown a picture of the front page prior to kick-off and the rest is history.

The problems caused since are complex and numerous. On the one hand you have Suarez failing to make clear the cause of his anger and on the other you have a media which, in the absence of definitive clear direction from the complainant, has drawn its own conclusions.

There is also the added complication of those around Suarez, no doubt at his request, continuing to talk up the possibility of the 27-year-old moving to La Liga. Grey areas abound, waters are being muddied and two plus two is being made to equal five.

If he is as keen on joining Barcelona or Real Madrid as those in his inner circle continue to suggest then it undoubtedly suits Suarez to put some distance between himself and the country where he currently plies his trade. That may well be a by-product of his latest outburst but it is not the cause.

He merely feels hard done by and has been unable to hide his disappointment at the way he feels he has been treated. Whether you agree with his reaction is, in many ways, irrelevant. This is how Suarez feels and the resentment has festered ever since he saw the front page that both gave him both added motivation to perform against England and extra enjoyment when he did.

[JohnDoe]

I think Barca are playing games. They want Suarez but don't want to pay the release clause, so they're trying to get him to engineer the move. If there is a clause and they were willing to meet it, they would have done so already. Suarez would join Barca if a deal was agreed, but he won't actively push for a move. Liverpool won't sell unless the clause is met.

In short, he's going nowhere.

[Pablo]

Interesting article. What is clear is that with Luis at your club you don't just deal with his baggage, you also deal with his circus.

Happy to though as I think circuses are ****ing class

[Fredo]

In short, no one knows and speculation is predominating.

[Tee]

We cannot let this circus leave this town!!

[Fredo]

You're all clowns to this circus to me.

[Tee]

You're all clowns to this circus to me.

[Pablo]

Reece looks unusually cheery there.

[Fredo]

Reece looks unusually cheery there.

Thought he was taller though.

[PTP]

I think Barca are playing games. They want Suarez but don't want to pay the release clause, so they're trying to get him to engineer the move. If there is a clause and they were willing to meet it, they would have done so already. Suarez would join Barca if a deal was agreed, but he won't actively push for a move. Liverpool won't sell unless the clause is met.

In short, he's going nowhere.

just a random one - i may be wrong - but i thought joining Real Madrid was 'his ultimate dream' ??? surely wanting to sign for barca can't be true if he was that much of real madrid fan