Liverpool’s Northern Irish manager feels let down by Arsenal’s Suarez offer…
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers feels that Arsenal have shown no class in their attempts to sign Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez, reports The Telegraph.
The Gunners lodged a bid of £40m plus £1 for the 26-year-old, which activated a clause in his contract meaning Liverpool had to notify the player of the bid.
Rodgers was disappointed by these underhand tactics.
“I was surprised. I’ve got to say I’ve always associated Arsenal as a club with class and so there was a wee bit of a game there. For us, it’s about moving on and doing our own work,” said the 40-year-old.
Whether Arsenal should be criticised for not bidding an extra £5m for example, just as a matter of ‘class’, is debatable
Rodgers though, remains adamant that the forward, who scored 30 goals in all competitions for the Reds last term, will not going anywhere.
“I’m extremely confident that he will be here. As I said, the offers have come in as you would expect for one of the world’s leading strikers but as time goes by I’m gaining more confidence because I have a chance to be with him on a day-to-day basis and he gets the chance to be around his team-mates. We’re in total control of the situation as a club and that’s how it will remain,” he continued.
What’s more, the closer it gets to the start of the season, the less likely it is Liverpool will sell, as they will not have the time to find an adequate replacement.
“It’s one where, speaking with the club and board, there is no actual date but certainly a timeline beyond which you would never sell, and really we are at that stage now because it is so close to the start of the season. We’re focused on Luis being here and getting more in so we are part of the conversation about being at the top of the table,” Rodgers added.
His side has been linked with a plethora of attacking talent this transfer window, and could bring in Atletico Madrid’s Brazilian forward Diego Costa before the beginning of the season.
Rodgers admitted though that should his side fail to qualify for the Champions League this season, Luis Suarez could be allowed to leave next summer.
“We understand it could be different next summer. A player with two years left on his contract is totally different, but Luis has three and we want to bring people in to play around and with him so we can sustain a challenge this year.”
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