‘I Worked at Arsenal – This is the Real Reason Why we Bid £40m+£1 for Luis Suarez’

The story of Arsenal’s failed bid of £40,000,001 for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez is perhaps one of the most infamous transfer blunders of all time. However, a former chief at the Gunners who was heavily involved in transfer dealings has revealed exactly what led to one of the most publicly embarrassing moments in the club’s recent history.

While Mikel Arteta has transformed the North Londoners into genuine title challengers once again, the lay of the land was very different back in 2013. Under Arsene Wenger, the former Invincibles were floundering towards the bottom of the Champions League places, and were in desperate need of some inspiration to help them push forward. The club proceeded with a bid for the Uruguayan striker that was so bizarre that it prompted Liverpool owner John W Henry to famously tweet: ‘What do you think they’re smoking over there at Emirates?’

Former Arsenal Chief Explains £40m+£1 Bid

Dick Law claimed that there was never actually a release clause

While the bid became the subject of mockery both by the Liverpool owner and fans around the world, former transfer negotiator at the Emirates, Dick Law, has since claimed that this was never meant to be the final offer, but was instead a means for the two clubs to try and work out a deal. In an interview with GOAL, the ex-chief stated

“That spring, news got round to us that Suarez wanted out of Liverpool. We got information that showed us what was negotiated between Liverpool and the player, and in our internal conversations decided that the clause was meaningless, that it was not a buy-out and it didn’t obligate Liverpool to do anything apart from have a conversation.

“So, whoever agreed to that clause in the Suarez camp was being less than clever because it was never a buy-out. What there was, was an obligation to discuss a transfer if a threshold was met and that threshold was £40m.”

He added: “Now, we didn’t know if Liverpool received an offer of £40m whether they would say, ‘that’s not more than £40m’. We could have gone with £45m, but the point is we knew there was never a buy-out.

“So, it was never going to be a bid of £40m+1, it was always going to be the start of a negotiation. The offer was just a trigger. Liverpool wanted to make a big deal out of it and that’s fine. When they received our offer they immediately publicised it.”

The Gunners failed to get their man, and Suarez would cement his legacy as a Liverpool great with a further season at Anfield.

What Happened After the Bid

Suarez would have his best season in English football

As Arsenal missed out on their key man, they were forced to watch on as Suarez almost singlehandedly dragged Liverpool to their first-ever Premier League title during one of the best individual seasons ever seen in the English top flight.

The now Inter Miami forward bagged 31 goals and 13 assists in the league alone as the Reds looked to have the championship in their hands until Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip against Chelsea.

A heartbroken Suarez would then leave English football to go join Barcelona, but faced more controversy after biting Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup. Meanwhile, Arsenal finished fourth yet again, seven points adrift of top spot.

Why Arsenal Wanted Suarez

Arsenal were in need of a goalscorer

Coming off the back of a 2012/13 campaign where the general perception was that Arsenal had handed bitter rivals Manchester United the Premier League title after selling their captain, Robin van Persie to them, a new frontman was at the top of Wenger’s shopping list that summer to replace the man who had just won the golden boot with some ease.

The Frenchman turned his attention to who would turn out to be one of the greatest Premier League strikers of all time in Suarez, who had just completed two impressive seasons at Anfield. In a struggling Liverpool side, the former Ajax man had managed to score 47 goals across the previous couple of terms, and was reportedly looking for a way out of Merseyside.

As made clear by Law, the club felt that they could get the ball rolling with that £40m+£1m bid but they were left with egg on their faces when nothing came to fruition.