Luis Suarez is at odds with Barcelona supporters after being jeered by the club’s fickle fans against Villarreal in midweek. Despite Barcelona winning 2-1, fans were unhappy with Suarez’s performance.
According to Sports Mole, Suarez is equally unhappy at Barcelona and now wants a return to Liverpool. Barcelona had attempted to swap Suarez during the transfer window for Paulo Dybala, but nothing came of the reported deal over the summer.
Now, reports claim Barcelona’s fifth all-time leading scorer (Suarez has scored 179 goals for Barcelona in 252 appearances) wants out of the club and to return to Merseyside.
If Suarez is available, would Liverpool need him?
Liverpool excelled with Suarez in the team under the management of Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers. The Uruguayan scored 82 goals in 133 matches. Despite his great goalscoring Suarez was never far from controversy.
The 32-year-old was the perfect No. 9 for Liverpool when he was at Anfield. In some ways, Roberto Firmino has carried on the same style of striker/attacking midfielder hybrid play that Suarez displayed.
Suarez has now been away from Liverpool for six seasons. The Reds have moved on without him under the management of Jurgen Klopp. Although Suarez has a great goalscoring record and history with Liverpool, he is a player of the past that the Reds need not re-sign.
Suarez’s Barcelona contract does expire in 2021. It could lead Barcelona to sell Suarez next summer rather than letting him walk away for free. Barcelona’s top stars are ageing and the team is showing his age with Lionel Messi and Suarez suffering injuries recently.
The striker will be 33 by the time the 2019-20 season ends. Rather than signing an ageing striker, Liverpool would be better suited to sign a younger striker such as Timo Werner. The German re-signed with RB Leipzig in August but has an incredibly low €30 million release clause.
Suarez’s age and recent injury record could mean coping with the Premier League’s physicality is far more difficult than six seasons ago. Suarez has missed 11 matches in 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons combined.
Luis Suarez by the numbers
Suarez scored over 20 goals in each of the last two La Liga seasons. Despite his production in the league, Suarez finished below his expected goals figures (xG). Last season Suarez was 3.39 xG below his expected target of 24.39.
Many Liverpool supporters would love to have his 20-plus goals a season back at Anfield. However, fitting the Uruguayan back into the team would be difficult with the way Liverpool currently play.
In addition to his age, Suarez’s current salary makes it nearly impossible for Liverpool to re-sign him. The 32-year-old earns £290,000 per week. Suarez’s salary is £90,000 more per week than Liverpool’s highest-paid player Mohamed Salah. The Uruguayan earns over £15m per season. With Liverpool’s work scouting and signing players that fit into the club financially, the salary Suarez would be paid makes it highly unlikely he would return to the club.
The cliche says you can never go back. Luis Suarez is not likely to return to Anfield as the club continues to move on into the future.
