Liverpool Transfer News: Keeping Unhappy Luis Suarez Would Be a Mistake

Brendan Rodgers is making a serious effort to prevent Luis Suarez from going anywhere. However, this could hurt the long-term prospect of the club.

It is obvious that the forward is looking for a move to Arsenal. In public, he is saying the right things to get this done. He told the Spanish newspaper Marca (via Mirror Football):

"

My aim is to reach an agreement with the club in a friendly manner and I hope the clause we agreed a year ago is fulfilled. Up to now, it hasn't been.

It's not that I am desperate to leave, but I like things to be clear and a year ago I made my position to the club clear...everyone should understand that I need to play in the Champions League to keep growing as a footballer.

Now I have the chance, I want to take it.

"

Unfortunately, it seems as though a "friendly" resolution is unlikely at this point. According to Mike Whalley of ESPN, Professional Footballers' Association boss Gordon Taylor already stated that Suarez was not guaranteed a release in his contract for Arsenal's bid of over £40 million.

Of course, his attitude has not changed as he continues to push for a transfer. This led to Rodgers sending the superstar away from the first team to train on his own, according to Ian Herbert of the Independent.

Rodgers was very aggressive in his statements concerning Suarez, via Sky Sports:

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I will take strong, decisive action. There has been total disrespect of the club. This is a club that is historically one of the biggest in the world and has given him everything - absolutely everything.

I don't believe there is a clause in his contract that says he can leave for any sort of price.

It's about respect - that's the only thing we look for. This is one of the most iconic football clubs in the world. You can't disrespect it.

"

Everything Rodgers said was right. As a manager, he has to remain in control of the situation and he is doing that by making sure one player is not bigger than the team.

He also proved to the Liverpool fans that he cares about the organization and should remain in charge for a long time. 

The problem is that this only works if Suarez learns the error of his ways and ends his pursuit for a transfer. This seems unlikely to happen.

Instead, the forward is likely to remain unhappy for the rest of his time with Liverpool. If he ends up playing to start the season, it is not going to lead to quality play. The squad's cohesion will not be great, and neither will the star's fitness after missing preseason action.

On the other hand, Rodgers can continue to keep him off the first team, which is a massive waste of talent for a club struggling to make its way to the top of the table.

Additionally, either outcome will be negative for the long-term outlook of the club. The negative treatment of a star player makes it less likely that others would be willing to make a move to Anfield in the future.

You never want to become a feeder club, but players do not want to feel trapped in one situation. This is setting a precedent that anyone who joins would be stuck there.

This has turned into a terrible situation for Liverpool, but the only option left is to sell the player for the best available price.

David Woods and Adrian Kajumba of the Daily Star report that Arsenal is willing to pay up to £51 million. If this turns out to be the case, it would be hard to turn down. 

No matter what the fee, Liverpool must find a way to get the most money to reinvest into the club. They can then find young talent that will be able to help next season and in the future.

If they don't, the club will suffer greatly.

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