Arsenal were heavily interested in signing Luiz Suarez from Liverpool for £40 million in the summer, but the Merseyside club decided not to sell him at any price to one of their domestic rivals. This resulted in the Uruguayan striker staying at Anfield despite stating that he would like to join Arsenal.
This season, he has been one of the exceptional seasons of the striker after having moved to the top of the goalscoring charts despite having missed much of the opening games due to suspension.
Even though Arsenal have a top quality striker in the form of Olivier Giroud, Arteta has stated that the club could have definitely done with the presence of the 26-year-old. The former Everton midfielder knows Suarez well after having lived very close to him during his Everton days.
Even though that is reputation that Suarez is a bit of a troublemaker, Arteta has stated that he is one of the nicest persons he has met. Hence, the reputation that goes behind the 26-year-old is totally untrue and that Arsenal would have benefited from his presence. At one point Suarez was odds-on to join Arsenal (according to Unibet) but in the end he decided to stay at Anfield.
“People don’t know the real Luis. He’s a really good lad. I know Suarez really well. He used to live in the next house to me and, whenever I’ve met him, he’s always been really nice.
It’s a pity Arsenal could not get Suarez. Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are the two most in-form strikers in the league and will be a big threat to us. But we have the quality to beat them,” said Arteta ahead of the match with Liverpool.
Arsenal need to keep the partnership between Sturridge and Suarez quiet.
Arsenal instead brought in Mesut Ozil for around the same amount from Real Madrid. The German has settled almost instantly and has been a great influence on the team.