http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23539678 Luis Suarez should stay at Liverpool and reject the chance to move to Arsenal, according to former Gunners striker Ian Wright. "I'd welcome him at Arsenal with open arms," Wright told BBC Sport. "But if I was Suarez, when you look at everything, it does seem strange he would want to go to Arsenal. I would give Liverpool another season." Reds captain Steven Gerrard ranks the Gunners among his side's rivals for a top-four finish and has questioned the sense in letting them recruit Suarez, who scored 30 goals in 44 games last season. "Gerrard is not someone who comes out and says things flippantly," said Wright, who scored 185 goals in 288 appearances for Arsenal and will co-host BBC Radio 5 live's football phone-in show 606 on Sundays with Kelly Cates from next season. "If you look at Arsenal - not won anything in eight years, just challenging for fourth place, not really any players there who will make him say 'I'm going to play with him and him' - Gerrard has got a point." "Suarez is a world-class striker and if he didn't have all the baggage around him, I feel the Barcelonas, Real Madrids and Bayern Munichs would be sniffing around," said the ex-England international. "That's why I believe Arsenal should try to bring him in - because I feel it's the only time they could get someone like that. In another market, I don't think he'd even look at Arsenal." "We need to see something I've not seen Arsenal do for many years and that is compete to sign players that Manchester United would want, that Manchester City would want and that Chelsea would want," he said. "But they're running out of time and I don't think, at the moment, they've got the ability to attract those players because they haven't won anything in such a long time. This is why Arsenal are in serious trouble right now. "I would like to see them go as far as they can to get Suarez, but they can't just buy him and not replenish the rest of the team. I think they need a goalkeeper, two centre-halves, two full-backs - for both left-back and right-back positions - another midfielder and two strikers. "It doesn't make sense buying Suarez for that money and not backing it up with other signings of the same stature." A lot of strong words from an Arsenal legend. Does he make some valid points or not?
Some valid points. Some attention seeking/controversial points. Most important line in that article though is ;
Agreed, it's a bit of everything in there. To me he sounds like a pee'd off Arsenal fan wanting a change at the club. He's a passionate guy so he is bound to go a little over-the-top at times.
He touched on a point I made about attracting top players. If Arsenal had made some decisive transfers in other positions with similar calibre players (e.g DM) that would be the best message to send to players like higuain or suarez. Instead we announce to the whole world that we will spend big and bring no one in time to start training with the team, 2 weeks from the start of the league...
I think he sums up the arguments between Liverpool and Arsenal fans over the last few days. From a Arsenal fans perspective, it is a move that Arsenal need, it would show their ambition and make a massive statement and it would possibly help the club move up to the next level. From a Liverpool fans perspective, is it a big enough step up for a player such as Luis Suarez and he mentions the likes of Barca, Real and Bayern too. I like Wrighty, he is one of those that just says it how it is, this is a quality I like in people. I don't exactly like people such as Joey Barton, Neil Warnock, Mick McCarthy, Roy Keane, etc but I would much rather listen to them than most others who just give the standard text book responses
Hang on Wrighty....we might not have the league cup but don't diss fourth as "just"...is that not where Liverpool are trying to get to WITH Suarez? We are already at where they've been trying to get to for many years and have always been there....so we do represent a step up....maybe not equivalent to the likes of RM etc but a step up nonetheless. I think Wrighty is going all out to seem impartial and not seem Arsenal biased to protect his new role at 606. BTW he's in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks we can compete with Man City on pure financial terms.
Alright lads, I know I'm a Sunderland fan but I love Arsenal as well and its frustrating for me to here about all this money you have to "compete with the best" and yet still no signings and also gazumped by Napoli. You are only 2/3 quality signings away from a title challenging team, (Suarez/Fellaini/Goalkeeper) I don't know how you guys have the patience haha PS. You should have bought Mignolet! Missed a trick there as hes only 24 and could have solved that problem you've had for the next 15 years.
No club can really, like Lazarus said, he seems like an annoyed Arsenal fan and he really just wants to see his team winning trophies, like every fan does. And Gooner, Arsenal should not settle for JUST 4th every year! I think his article is half common sense and half having a dig at Arsenal to try get them to pull their finger out.
If every top class player is going to think this way then how can the club possibly sign anyone who would improve the squad?
It's precisely because we shouldn't settle for fourth that I think we should buy players of Suarezs calibre....I'm saying Wrighty shouldn't knock 4th place when the club he is saying the player should stay at are trying to get to the same level. There is a chicken and egg dilemma that Wrighty has got himself into there. To move forward we need top players but he is saying top players aren't coming to us because we've been stuck at 4th not challenging for major honours...what comes first the chicken or the egg?
They had months to timely sign players who would improve our squad, which in turn would also improve our chances with highlight signings like suarez.
Alas it's a bit of the same old with Arsenal. Wenger has other plans, unfortunately it doesn't include what we think should be done. It will be interesting to see what happens come end of transfer window and the ensuing season.
I liked wright as a player, but as a pundit he is terrible, and he has had a thing against wenger ever since wenger moved him on to make way for anelka in 98. Even when we were winning things he would still have a sly go at wenger, he has clearly never gotten over the fact he was deemed not good enough.
You're right of course - I just don't think it's a very useful point by Wright. If he's saying Suarez shouldn't move to Arsenal because they don't have exciting players then why should any top player? Does it mean Arsenal can never hope to sign top players again, unless they win the league which they can't do because they don't have the top players for it? In real life, I would assume players think about much more than just who is around them in the squad.
Players like Cazorla and Podolski were bigish names, but players with alot of ability. Imo, Arsenal aren't the stature of club right now to be buying 'top class' players, but the next step down and making them top class instead; just like with Cazorla. You can't compete with the likes of Barca or Real on stature to attract, and you can't compete directly with Chavski or City by offering cash.
**** Ian Wright. The guy has'nt had anything positive to say about this club in years. Anyone seen the squad he picked??..I'm fed-up with listening to footballers 'pretending' to be academics.
I think Wright has pain in his Arsen seeing his beloved Arsenal not managed to their potential. It seems you always have the makings of top side, title challenging or winning top side and never go that extra mile to add the missing pieces as in finished articles that cost a few bob. Now that the finances are in great shape there is still this faffing about when really Wenger should have identified who he wanted before the summer and went all out to get them. United didn't even wince at paying for RvP and it can be argued his addition won them the league. While all the very good players on the move were being signed Wenger sat on his hands and then makes a bid for Suarez, the first one was never going to be accepted, he surely knew that, not what I call going after your man.
