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Suarez describes his wish to sign Arsenal back in 2013

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Luis Suarez explained why he wanted to make a move to Arsenal back in 2013 when he was playing for Liverpool in the Premier League.

If you remember, Luis Suarez joined Liverpool in 2011 and spent three years at Anfield before making a move to Barcelona. But, what was not known back then was why the Uruguayan wanted to join Arsenal in 2013 before going to Spain?

In point of fact, the Gunners had triggered a clause in Suarez’s contract by offering a price of £40,000,001. The reason behind this bold move was that the Uruguayan striker made attempts to shift to Arsenal before leaving for Camp Nou.

For Suarez, playing on the European stage mattered the most, and Liverpool had not qualified for that season. That is why the attacker tried to join Arsenal, in the hope of competing in the Champions League.

Ultimately, the transfer could not happen, and Suarez ended up in the Catalan capital. He said to UEFA.com: “I think I’d been at Liverpool for a year and a half when Brendan [Rodgers] took charge in July 2012.”

“Back then, I had opportunities to sign for other clubs who were getting in contact with me. But he phoned me when I was in Uruguay on holiday. To tell me that he had another way of thinking, that he wanted to change the club and its philosophy. That he wanted the club to get back in the Champions League and fight to win big trophies. That he was going to make the team play great football.

“He asked me to believe and trust him. I enjoyed that chat. I liked his conviction, the philosophy he wanted to implement at the club. So I talked to my agent and the club to say that I didn’t want to leave. That I wanted another opportunity to be successful at Liverpool.

“That year wasn’t as good as we wanted, but ideas were already pretty clear. So then the 2012-13 season goes by. And I wanted to sign for Arsenal. Since Arsenal had played in the Champions League every season prior to that.”

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