I wanted to leave Liverpool for Juventus but went home crying after transfer U-turn

I wanted to leave Liverpool for Juventus but went home crying after transfer U-turn

Luis Suarez has opened up on his attempts to leave Liverpool for Juventus and Arsenal

Luis Suárez of Inter Miami reacts during the second half against the Atlanta United during round one of the 2024 MLS Playoffs at Chase Stadium (Image: 2024 Getty Images )

Luis Suarez has revealed he went home crying after being talked into staying put at Liverpool in the summer of 2013. The Uruguayan was subject of an infamous £40m and £1 bid from Arsenal, which they believed triggered a transfer release clause.

The Reds had no interest in selling the striker though, with John W. Henry memorably tweeting at the time in response to the Gunners’ offer: “What do you think they're smoking over there at Emirates?”

‌

Article continues below

Suarez had tried to force through an exit. But he’s revealed he was talked into staying put another season by legendary Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

"I wanted to go because they (Arsenal) played in the Champions League every year,” Suarez recalled to streamer Davoo Xeneize. “But one day, during a training session, Gerrard came (to me), and for me he is one of the absolute best.

“He said to me: 'Listen to me, I was also going to go to Real Madrid and other places, but the best decision is for you to stay this year, because going to Arsenal will not help you at all in your career. If you stay, next year you will decide whether to go to Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Barcelona'.

‌

"That day I went home crying and told my wife that I would stay."

Suarez would go on to have an astonishing final season at Liverpool as they narrowly missed out on the Premier League title, registering 31 goals and 12 assists from 33 Premier League appearances. And Gerrard's claim would be proven right as the striker then went on to leave for Barcelona in a £65m deal in the summer of 2014.

But his previous flirtations with Arsenal the year before were not the only time Suarez pushed to leave Anfield, with the 38-year-old revealing he also came close to departing in the summer of 2012.

‌

Juventus were his potential suitors on that occasion, but a conversation with newly-appointed Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers persuaded him to stay put.

"In 2012 I wanted to go to Juventus,” he said. “But Brendan Rodgers convinced me to stay, with his ideas about football.”

Meanwhile, former West Ham United defender James Collins recently revealed how he was once motivated to ‘kick the s**t’ out of Suarez after seeing a banner paying tribute to the striker at Anfield in 2013.

‌

The Hammers fought out a 0-0 draw, with Collins considering it one of the best performances of his career.

“Anfield, I think it was 2013. I don’t know if anyone ever really remembers their best game, but that game stands out,” Collins told That Peter Crouch Podcast. “Why it stands out I think is Suarez was Suarez at the time, unplayable at points. He was little and I didn’t really fancy playing against a little player. I was better against the big ones.

“I remember being on the Anfield pitch and looking up and seeing a sign that said ‘Luis Suarez could nutmeg a mermaid’ and thinking. ‘yeah, this is going to be tough!'

Article continues below

“Right then on that pitch I just decided, ‘I’m going to steam into him. Every time he gets the ball I’m going to steam into him.’ Kick him, bring him down, whatever, so it makes him as uncomfortable as possible, rather than him dictating to me.

“So I literally kicked the s**t out of Suarez for 90 minutes, didn’t get sent off, didn’t even get a yellow. But there’s pictures about of him wincing with me steaming in and that.

“It’s the best game I ever played and my tactic literally was to kick him every time he got the ball! Not hurt him, but be really aggressive against him because otherwise if you let him play, he’s far superior than me, he’s going to take the p**s out of me. He didn’t react at all.”

Click here to read article