Top of the table and considered title contenders in December, Arsenal have faded and now sit fourth in the Premier League table, fighting for a Champions League spot. This story is similar to that of the past few seasons. They play beautiful football in the first half of the campaign but come March, they are in and around fourth place, fighting for Champions League qualification.
A large number of the Arsenal faithful have turned against Wenger as seen by the thousands of empty seats at the Emirates stadium during the 2-0 win against West Bromwich Albion. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has often been criticized by fans and pundits alike of being too conservative in the transfer market.
Former Liverpool defender and now football pundit, Jamie Carragher wrote in his column in the Daily Mail that he felt that Wenger’s biggest mistake at Arsenal was the failed signing of Luis Suarez in July 2013.
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Suarez had a buy-out clause of £40 million and Wenger had infamously bid £1 more than the buyout clause. This, according to Carragher destroyed any chances of the deal going through.
He wrote, “Wenger and Arsenal were under the impression, remember, that a bid of more than £40million would take Suarez away from Liverpool but they took that to the extreme. By putting just £1 above the fee they thought would trigger a deal, it ensured business would never get done.
The former Liverpool defender said, “If you look back at Wenger’s 20 years in English football, there are so many highlights, but that day in July 2013, with the bid that enraged Liverpool, cannot be ignored. Not signing Suarez is the biggest mistake of Wenger’s reign.”
Wondering what could have been at Arsenal, Carragher also wrote how Suarez scored four against Deportivo in an 8-0 win to go one step closer to winning the title but Arsenal were still fighting for fourth place.
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The Gunners have lacked a consistent goal scoring threat since the departure of Robin van Persie and the current crop of strikers have been deemed just not good enough to help Arsenal fight for the title. There looks to be a dire need for reinforcement.
Suarez could have taken Arsenal to the next level with his consistent goal scoring as he seems to drag teams to title contention single-handedly. Liverpool have never looked the same threat ever since the Uruguayan led them to second place in the 2013-14 season. After failing to make mount a title challenge last year Brendan Rodgers was relieved of his duties earlier this season.
Suarez had himself admitted before transferring to Barcelona that his head had been turned by Arsenal’s interest in him. In what would have been a potentially destructive partnership, Suarez would have lined up with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, a combination that would have surely made them title contenders.
