Steven Gerrard has discussed the role he played in preventing Luis Suarez from leaving Liverpool for Arsenal in 2013.
Detailing how the Uruguayan’s relationship with Brendan Rodgers had broken down, the former Liverpool captain goes on to explain how he found himself “in the middle” of the pair.
“Brendan’s relationship with Luis had broken down. I don’t think it was Brendan’s fault. Luis wanted to move on, to play Champions’ League football and he had people in his ear and people around him forcing him to make moves that maybe he didn’t really want to do,” Gerrard explains.
“I think it was just a case of being in the middle and trying to heal that relationship with him and Brendan and get him training with the first team again and just chatting to Luis and saying to him, is it Arsenal that you really want or do you want Real Madrid or Barca?”
“I knew, deep down that him and his family wanted Barcelona rather than Arsenal… For me and all the Liverpool supporters and Liverpool people it made no sense at all, him going to Arsenal because it would have made them an awful lot stronger. When you lose someone like Luis Suarez it makes you an awful lot weaker, so for me, I was prepared to do anything it took to try and make that not happen.”
Gerrard was speaking on the upcoming BT Sport special –‘Sport in Focus – Steven Gerrard’ – where the former Liverpool captain discusses many of the topics in his new book ‘My Story’.
Watch a 30 minute BT Sport special — “Sport In Focus – Steven Gerrard” – on BT Sport 1 next Wednesday 30 September at 3pm. Catch a preview on btsport.com from later tonight (24 Sept)
