Can Liverpool replace Suarez?

Luis Suarez

Liverpool‘s 2012-13 season was widely interpreted as a step in a larger rebuilding process under Brendan Rodgers. The new manager brought with him a specific philosophy of attractive football that reflected on the pitch if not on the points table. He spent wisely in the January transfer window and with the addition of Coutinho’s creativity and Sturridge’s goal scoring prowess, Liverpool arguably looked the part for a Champions League side in the last half of the season. However, with controversial statements from Luis Suarez about his unsettled life in England given the hostility of the British media towards him emerging, Liverpool’s rebuilding process has come under a cloud.

Luis Suarez was at the centre of all that Liverpool achieved last season. He was the go-to player, scoring goals, making valuable assists and Brendan Rodgers was getting used to building a side around him. At one stage, he was pipping Manchester United‘s Robin Van Persie with his accuracy in front of the goal. In such an event, interest from other clubs was bound to arise but Suarez had been making all the right sounds, pledging his future to the club.

Indeed, Liverpool did much to keep their relations with Suarez in the best even as Suarez created some embarrassing situations for the club. His row with Patrice Evra seemed to go on forever after he refused to shake hands with the United player and then that shameful biting incident involving Chelsea‘s Ivanovic. However, Suarez kept Liverpool close to him by sandwiching these incidents with brilliance on the field. In fact, it was Suarez who scored the last gasp goal for Liverpool against Chelsea in that very match in which he bit the defender.

Now that Suarez has virtually done a complete U-turn, inviting Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and perhaps more clubs to make him a target for their next season’s campaign, Brendan Rodgers might have to reconsider the entire balance of his side. Suarez has not been a straightforward striker but someone who has worked hard on the pitch in order to create chances for himself and for others. Sturridge and Suarez formed a formidable partnership in front of the goal. He was at the end of many of Gerrard’s long passes and even Coutinho had shown some kind of telepathic understanding with the eccentric forward. Liverpool will need a similarly creative player to replace him if he leaves.

The most recently proposed candidate for Suarez’s replacement is Carlos Tevez. Liverpool have been long-standing admirers of the former Reds player and in spite of a troubled campaign with City, he has maintained his standards on the pitch, becoming City’s highest goal scorer in all competitions. Tevez is a multi-dimensional player who will suit Brendan Rodgers’s style of play and will get him goals as well. However, Tevez is not on the right side of the 20s and though available at a reasonable price of 7-8 million, will demand extremely high wages. Liverpool have had this problem of high wages with Joe Cole once and will be wary of entering into another such agreement but are likely to offer Tevez a long-term contract at the club.

Liverpool are understood to closing in on a deal with Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas for £6 million but this deal was rolled on much before Suarez made his unsettling statements. The striker scored 12 goals in La Liga last season and is considered to be of some potential but given the fact that he will be featuring in his first season in England if the deal goes through, he can be expected to fill in only a part of Suarez’s 30 goals in all competitions last season. A lot will depend on when and for how much Suarez leaves as that will bear a consequence upon the quality of the available talent and money Rodgers has to acquire it. Liverpool are also understood to be eyeing Udinese striker Luis Muriel who scored heavily in the last half of the season for the Italian club. However, Liverpool might flounder when the striker weighs the deals that he has on his table at the end of the day.

Liverpool’s managing director may insist on the club’s status as a significant destination for star players but the fact remains that professional footballers are now more astute and demanding than ever. Liverpool’s failure to grab the Champion’s League places ever since Rafael Benitez’s departure has meant that Liverpool’s value in the transfer market has dwindled and that means that Luis Suarez’s departure is likely to leave a big void in the Liverpool side.