Luis Suarez uses failed Liverpool exit to Arsenal as lesson for Julian Alvarez amid Barcelona links | OneFootball

In a recent interview, former Barcelona striker Luis Suarez was full of praise for Julian Alvarez and the club’s pursuit of him. Praising his best qualities and how he would fit in the team, it seems clear enough that the player has Suarez’s blessing.

However, despite praising the player and how he would fit in the team, the Uruguayan forward also made it clear that the operation would indeed be a complicated one, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo:

“It’s certainly a complicated situation for Julian.”

Yet, the Barça legend also acknowledged the fact that players do have to force or push for a move themselves at times. Julian Alvarez has already publicly admitted to wanting a move, and Suarez shared a personal anecdote of his own failed attempt to join Arsenal in the past to relate the two situations:

“These are situations where, at some point, a player has to push for a move. I experienced that myself at Liverpool… In 2013, I tried to force my exit because I wanted to join Arsenal. I clashed with the club because we weren’t qualifying for the Champions League and I felt I needed to take the next step.”

However, he was stopped by former captain Steven Gerrard at that point, who suggested an alternative solution to joining Arsenal:

“I remember our captain, Steven Gerrard, pulling me aside and saying: ‘Stay. Next year you’ll be able to go wherever you want—to Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern. But this year, please stay. You can’t leave for Arsenal.’ He convinced me.”

After sharing this personal anecdote of his, the former Barça and Atletico Madrid forward related the situation to how Julian Alvarez could deal with his own complicated reality as well, and how Diego Simeone could possibly convince him to stay a bit longer before he ultimately leaves:

“Something similar could happen with Julián. Diego Simeone might sit him down and say, ‘I want you to stay with us this year.’ In my case, I was convinced by a Liverpool legend and captain. I came to my senses, apologised publicly afterwards, and it ended up being my best season at the club.”

As for how the fans would react, Suarez seems certain that it would not be too much of a problem if the player is able to show them that he is willing to give it his all before leaving:

“Fans are very forgiving. Even if you’ve tried to force a move, if they see you giving everything on the pitch, working hard and defending the badge, they’ll end up applauding you.”

Definitely an interesting parallel between the two situations, and Suarez’s words do certainly hold a lot of weight. Unfortunately, however, there is also the issue of the two clubs to consider in this particular scenario involving Julian Alvarez, as both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid certainly have their differences.