Could Barcelona Striker Luis Suarez Really Make Transfer Move to Chelsea?

For all the criticism levelled at Chelsea fans, they went some way to breaking their "plastic" tag when Rafa Benitez was appointed interim manager two years ago.

Were the protests against his appointment correct? Not exactly. Was Benitez's treatment unsavoury? Slightly.

What the whole saga demonstrated, however, was that Chelsea supporters were not as fickle as their rivals like to make out.

Benitez and Chelsea fans had a long, chequered history defined by ghost goals and and a simple case of familiarity breeding contempt.

When in charge of Liverpool, Benitez's side were often drawn against the west Londoners in major competitions, and their meetings rarely went off without incident.

Replacing Roberto Di Matteo in November 2012, he was always on a hiding to nothing with the crowd.

Even when he rescued their campaign, guiding Chelsea to Champions League qualification before lifting the Europa League trophy, the majority of fans stuck to their guns and were only too happy to wave Benitez out of the club a few weeks later.

History dictated nothing would sway their opinion. Even silverware.

Now another former Red is being linked with Chelsea, but this time he comes with far more baggage.

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Luis Suarez isn't enjoying the best of times at Barcelona right now and with the club unsettled from the boardroom down, Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail is suggesting the Uruguayan could well be a casualty of a political shakeup.

Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal are poised, waiting in the wings. Apparently.

It's all rather fanciful, especially given Suarez's past where Chelsea are concerned.

Could he do a Benitez and join the enemy?

If it wasn't bad enough that Suarez all but knocked England out of the World Cup last summer, the ill-feeling at Stamford Bridge runs deep after he took a bite at Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013.

Chelsea were leading 2-1 at Anfield at the time, and with the incident going unnoticed by the referee, it didn't take Nostradamus to predict who would score Liverpool's stoppage-time equaliser.

Biting an opponent—not for the first time—was one of Suarez's many unsavoury incidents during his time in the Premier League, and Chelsea fans haven't quite forgiven him.

Would watching him score goals in a Chelsea shirt change things? Probably not.

Fernando Torres was welcomed with open arms in west London, yet the circumstances were different. For one, he had swapped Liverpool for Chelsea, so he was an immediate hero in the eyes of fans.

And besides, the biggest sin Torres had committed? Scoring goals against them.

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Suarez doesn't come with such credit. He'd be joining Chelsea almost by default, arriving on the back of a failed move to La Liga.

Chelsea were never in for him last summer, yet it would still feel as though the club were second best.

The buzz of getting one over on your rivals simply wouldn't be there.

His brilliance cannot be doubted. Suarez showed at Anfield what a talent he is, and despite overstepping the mark on a number of occasions, he was adored for everything he gave to Liverpool.

Accepting him at Chelsea would be far more difficult. He may well rediscover his scoring touch, but Chelsea fans have shown themselves to be a loyal bunch when it matters.

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They can't forget what happened with Ivanovic, and they shouldn't. Were they to, what message would it send?

"Bite and attack our players. It's fine; you score goals. You're one of us."

Like many football supporters, Chelsea fans can't claim their ethics run too deep, yet the Benitez saga showed they have some modicum of substance.

They will complain and boo when they feel it's necessary but ultimately accept the decisions the club makes in their name. Heck, they even accept their own manager's criticism of them in the media if his face fits.

What they don't do is forgive and forget too easily.

For right or wrong, their affections for Benitez never changed. It should be no different for Suarez.

Let him be someone else's tortured genius.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.