Is Arsenal’s Suarez offer an attempt to accelerate the faltering Higuain transfer?

Luis Suarez of Uruguay looks on during the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 3rd Place match against Italy at Estadio Octavio Mangabeira on June 30, 2013 in Salvador, Brazil. (Getty Images)

On the 8th July, BBC Sport announced that Arsenal had seen a £30 million bid for Uruguayan forward, Luis Suárez, rejected by the powers that be at Liverpool Football Club. The idea of this transfer seemed crazy. So what on earth were Arsenal thinking?

You would struggle to find a football fanatic in England that would want Suarez in their team. Despite his incredible footballing ability, the controversy and stigma surrounding him in the Premier League is something that would become extremely difficult to accept, let alone adore.

The forward has admitted himself that he wants to escape such ‘intolerance’ with a move to the continent. Although he may have linked well with Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Co. the idea of a transfer to North London just wasn’t plausible.

So still, we have no answer as to why the Gunners went for this seemingly unattainable target.

Let’s think back to when Suárez first showed his intent to leave Anfield. The top three teams chasing his signature seemed to be Napoli, Bayern Munich and a certain Real Madrid. This Real Madrid side was a team holding onto Arsenal’s top transfer target of the summer, Gonzalo Higuain.

At the end of June, it was widely believed that Higuain’s transfer was days from completion. However, in rather typical Arsenal fashion, the progress slowed and by early July the transfer had begun to regress and falter. Is there then a link between the hesitance of the Higuain transfer and Arsenal’s move for Madrid’s target?

It seems extremely possible that Wenger and the other powers at the Emirates have made one of the most interesting tactical moves in transfer history.

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez recently expressed his desire to keep Higuain at the club. Hours later, the news broke that Arsenal had a £30 million bid rejected for Madrid target, Suarez.

Coincidence? Unlikely.

Instead, this seemed to be a planned display of financial power from Arsenal. It seems that the club was looking Madrid square in the eyes and saying ‘we can afford your player that wants out. Or, we can go for one of your top transfer targets. Your call Real, it’s your call.’

Whether Madrid, will give in to this pressure remains to be seen. But undoubtedly, this is either a bizarre move from the Gunners or a piece of tactical mastery.

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