Analysing Arsenal's £40,000,001 transfer bid for Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez

Amidst hearing various bids being put forward by clubs around the world, there was one bid in particular that made you wonder “Did I actually see that?”

Arsenal‘s 40m + £1 bid for Liverpool‘s Luis Suarez was laughed at by few, ridiculed by many and considered one of the smartest bids by some. While it has come to light that the Uruguayan striker’s contract has a clause that claims any bid made towards him, that crosses 40m pounds, has to be informed to him, it looks like Arsenal have taken full advantage of it.

The psychology behind it:

It’s been clear enough that Suarez wants to leave, preferably for a club that plays in the Champions League. However, he does have an idea of which clubs he has in mind.

“It is good to know that I am still valued by teams like Arsenal. Friends call me up to ask if I am moving to Chelsea, to which I laugh,” he told Uruguayan radio station Sport 890.

Once Arsenal came to know of this interest, they decided to actually pursue the player and felt that talking to the player once would influence his decision of joining them. We very well know that the Gunners use their transfer kitty extremely cautiously, and they may have felt spending even an extra pound after triggering the clause that allows communication with the player, would be unnecessary.

Probably they think that once the player has made up his mind of linking up with them, Liverpool would have to force the transfer for that sum or maybe press for a little more.

In the case Liverpool demand a much heftier amount after this, Arsenal could back off, and that would leave the Reds with an unsettled player, which is a situation they would rather not face.

Is it an intelligent decision?

Liverpool owner John Henry took to Twitter saying, “What do you think they’re smoking over there at Emirates?”

While Liverpool would laugh off the bid for now, it could have consequences. Rumours are circulating that Suarez has requested a transfer although he hasn’t submitted an official written request yet. If this happens, they would have to consider every bid that comes in for him seriously.

And then Arsenal may complete one of the most bizarre transfers ever seen.

Could it work against them?

The striker has also said that turning down an offer from Madrid would be a difficult choice. And now with the Spanish giants having sold Higuain to Napoli, they would be looking for options upfront and the Liverpool man would be right up there on their shopping list.

This would prove the perfect move for Liverpool as well as they won’t be selling him to a rival club. He wouldn’t come up against them in any competition and Suarez too would be a happy man staying away from the English press.

So, Arsenal, who are trying to be a little cheeky out here, may need to act with a swift higher bid soon, before Ancelotti dives in and swoops him up from Anfield.

So now, it’s all up to the man himself. While Brendan Rodgers questions the loyalty for the club and its supporters who have stood by him during a controversy-filled season, Suarez has to decide what he has to do. Submit a transfer request and move away immediately to Arsenal or wait for further bids from other clubs, but at the risk of no transfer materializing in the future?

At the same time, he could decide to repay the faith put in him by the Anfield faithful and try and get them into the most prestigious European competition next season.

The next few days are going to be hard for him, and it could turn ugly. Being called a loyal, a traitor or managing to escape all this by handling the situation well – it’s all in his hands.