22 October 2023 , 06:30
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Luis Suarez left Liverpool in the summer of 2014 but he was initially left unimpressed by Brendan Rodgers making Fabio Borini his first signing as boss at Anfield.
Suarez spent three-and-a-half seasons on Merseyside, including the first two years as Rodgers’ spell in the dugout. The Uruguayan had been prolific in the Netherlands with Groningen and Ajax, but it was in the Premier League that he really developed into a star.
Arriving late in the January transfer window in 2011, joining alongside Andy Carroll in keynote deals following the sale of Reds icon Fernando Torres to Chelsea. While Carroll struggled to adapt to the club, Suarez became the attacking talisman – firstly under Kenny Dalglish and then, Rodgers.
However, Suarez had arrived at Anfield under the impression that Torres would be his new teammate – rather than the player he would replace at the club. That has previously been detailed by The Athletic, who outline how that foreshadowed the player’s ultimate desire to leave the Reds.
In the summer of 2012, 18 months after Suarez joined the club, Liverpool replaced Dalglish in the dugout with Rodgers. The Northern Irishman’s first act of business was to complete the signing of Fabio Borini, whom he had worked alongside during their times together at Chelsea before Rodgers also signed him on loan at Swansea.
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Borini had scored ten goals the previous season at Roma but he struggled to make a successful career at Anfield, scoring just two Premier League goals for the club across 25 appearances and two seasons. The report adds how his arrival had played its role in Suarez’s decision that he would be best seeking silverware elsewhere.
After several underwhelming seasons at Anfield, with the end of Suarez’s first three seasons seeing the club finish in positions between sixth and eighth in the Premier League, it was the Uruguayan who spearheaded the club’s unexpected late title charge in 2014 – a season when Borini had loaned out to Sunderland.
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Suarez and Rodgers almost won the league title with Liverpool in 2014 (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Liverpool’s recruitment may have been hit and miss during Suarez’s time at the club, but it began to improve in quality and output with the attacking arrivals of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho – two players who would prove crucial in the title push.
Suarez’s frustrations at Anfield began to become clear – most clearly with his bite on Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic’s arm in 2013 – before eventually departing for Barcelona, where he enjoyed multiple successes alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar in a famed attacking trio.