Andy Carroll has completed his £15m transfer to West Ham as Liverpool take a £20m loss on the deal that brought him to Anfield, while fellow striker Luis Suarez seems determined to follow him out of the club.
The duo arrived together under former boss Kenny Dalglish on transfer deadline day in January 2011, as Liverpool hurriedly spent the £50m they received from Chelsea after the sale of Fernando Torres, but their spells with the Reds have been mixed… to say the least.
Carroll, who left Newcastle United at a cost of £35m only to find he did not fit into new manager Brendan Rodgers’ plans, spent last season on loan at West Ham and he has now agreed terms on a six-year contract with the Hammers.
England forward Carroll scored just 11 goals in 58 games for Liverpool and while he may feel justified in thinking he did not get a fair chance to shine at Anfield, the British player record fee shelled out by the Reds for his services was clearly not a good business deal in the short term or long run.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWO9VM1Cbvg
Controversial star Luis Suarez has repeatedly stated his desire to leave Anfield – preferably for Real Madrid – during a series of interviews while on international duty for his native Uruguay since the end of the season.
Liverpool have received no bids so far and club officials have indicated Suarez should honour his contract – or hand in formal a transfer request.
The 26-year-old finished top scorer for the Reds in all competitions with an impressive 30 goals, however his season ended abruptly with a 10-match ban after biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during a 2-2 draw between the two sides on April 22nd.
Suarez has cited his reasons for seeking a move from the Premier League as being unfairly treated by the media in England and, in relation to the Patrice Evra racism controversy, also by the Football Association.
“Without any proof they gave me an eight-match ban,” Suarez told RR Gol. “But with [John] Terry, where they had proof, lip-readers, they gave him four. I’m South American and I think that’s the root of all of this.”
He added: “Liverpool is a club that I dreamt about playing for as a boy. I have been with great players there, they know me and I would love to continue for many more years at Liverpool. The stadium is spectacular, the fans are phenomenal.
“After the [Evra] suspension people would come up to me, this is something that really touched me and they would say: ‘Luis forget everything and stay.’ But I can’t forget as it was something that I had to suffer, that my family had to suffer and away from football I have a family to support and who are hurt by these things.
“About a week ago I was walking in a shopping centre near Manchester and three or four guys asked me for a photo. While we were posing for it my wife said to me: ‘Luis, get out of the photo.’ She noticed they were making biting gestures.
“I was with my wife and my daughter. Things like that get on your nerves. My wife was on the brink of tears and the blokes ran off laughing. You get tired of stuff like that.”
Despite only signing an improved contract extension last summer, Suarez has admitted he would be tempted by the thought of heading to the Bernabeu to play for Real Madrid, but said: “The only thing I know is that I have a contract [with Liverpool].”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoHyH61ZUiM
He added: “My agent said to remain calm rather than quiet, remain calm and when there is concrete interest you’ll be the first to know.”
Although the club have publicly dismissed notions that Suarez is for sale, they will no doubt want a speedy resolution to a potentially long drawn-out affair over a summer in which they seek to strengthen their squad following a patchy first season under manager Brendan Rodgers.
Liverpool have already confirmed the arrival of defender Kolo Toure on a free transfer from Manchester City ahead of next season, while £20m-rated Shakhtar Donetsk striker Henrikh Mkhitaryan is another club target. Deals appear close for Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet from Sunderland, along with Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto of Sevilla.
Additional reporting by Joel Richards