John Henry, owner of Liverpool Football Club and the Boston Red Sox, sent out a Tweet this morning laughing off Arsenal’s latest bid for striker Luis Suárez.
And the mega-rich owner did so in controversial fashion.
Henry shrugged off Arsene Wenger’s latest attempt to lure Suárez to the Emirates, after Liverpool reportedly rejected a cheeky bid of £40 million and £1 ($60 million), which apparently triggered a release clause.
This is what Henry had to say on the topic, according to Twitter: “What do you think they’re smoking over there at Emirates?”
As Henry’s Twitter bio states, “It’s dangerous for execs to have opinions and humor.” And he obviously isn’t scared of expressing his true feelings.
Henry and the directors at Liverpool are not happy at all with Arsenal’s continued interested in 26-year-old Suárez and the forward has apparently asked to speak to the North London club following the renewed interest.
So with Liverpool’s hierarchy laughing off seriously big bids from Premier League rivals, will their prized possession leave Anfield this summer?
Liverpool’s preferred option has always been to keep Suárez, as this latest rebuff proves, but if the Reds did have to sell their star man they’d prefer to see him move overseas.
However Real Madrid have admitted Gareth Bale is their number one target and Barcelona have brought in Neymar, so it now seems unlikely that Suárez will head to Spain. But the mercurial striker wants Champions League soccer and Liverpool can’t offer him that. Arsenal can.
What do you think they're smoking over there at Emirates?
— John W. Henry (@John_W_Henry) July 24, 2013
We’ll see how this one plays out.
Arsenal have obviously upset Liverpool with their antics and maybe the Gunners have no real interest in buying the Uruguayan. Perhaps they just want to unsettle Suárez and distract Liverpool from the upcoming season?
(MORE: Arsenal to up their bid for Suárez, put Higuain on hold)
That seems a little silly and far-fetched. But with the new PL season just around the corner, the leading teams aren’t pulling away from the pack right now, and this promises to be the most open race for the top four in recent history.
Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are perhaps closer now than they’ve ever been. Any little edge one can gain over the other, underhand tactics or not, could be the difference between making the Champions League or not. Or perhaps even more.
Are Arsenal’s intentions about buying Suárez genuine? Or are they just crazy like John W Henry insinuated?
