Aston Villa have been paired with a move for Luis Suarez this week, with Steven Gerrard seemingly eyeing another reunion with a former Liverpool teammate.
As per reputable Spanish journalist Gerard Romero, it’s suggested that Suarez has turned down several offers and is focusing on Villa’s proposal which in turn would see him once again work with Gerrard following their successful stint together at Anfield.
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As with any potential transfer, there are positives and negatives to consider if Villa push forward with their reported pursuit, while it’s added by Romero that this is likely to be a swoop that’s made in the summer when the Uruguayan stalwart becomes a free agent with his current contract with Atletico Madrid set to expire.
So, would a move for Suarez be smart business from Villa?
Argument in favour of Villa swoop for Suarez
Similarly to the two marquee signings that we’ve made so far this month in Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne, Gerrard is seemingly keen to add experience and a winner’s mentality to the young squad that he inherited at Villa.
Suarez ticks all the right boxes in that regard, having enjoyed a successful career at the highest level both for club and country over a number of years.
Further, he has collected an impressive haul of trophies and individual awards, and the high-profile nature of his name will undoubtedly also reap rewards for Villa off the pitch too as it would be another statement signing.
With nine goals and two assists in 27 appearances so far this season across all competitions, Suarez is still delivering at the top level in La Liga, and so should Villa secure a deal this summer on a free transfer, it could help raise the quality level of the squad further.
In addition, his influence and ability to help improve the likes of Ollie Watkins, Danny Ings and Cameron Archer could be invaluable for them too, and so there are certainly reasons why adding Suarez to the Villa squad would be a sensible move with what he brings to improve us and make us more competitive.
Argument against Villa swoop for Suarez
That said, Suarez is now 34 years of age and he is no longer at the height of his powers.
He’s currently on a goalless streak in the league that stretches to seven games, with just one goal to his name in his last 10 league outings.
With Watkins and Ings already struggling to play alongside each other, it’s unclear if Villa really need to bolster that area of the squad further or if one would have to depart, while there is also Archer’s development to consider as he’ll have less opportunities in the short-term future to make his mark at Villa and subsequently will be forced to move out on loan.
Barring a wage cut, Suarez would likely be an expensive acquisition too in terms of salary, and if he were to play a bit-part role, would it really justify assigning a significant portion of our resources on him?
If Gerrard thinks that he can improve the Villa squad and help move us closer to competing at the level where we want to be, the club have already shown with the signings of Coutinho and Digne that they will back him.
It’s hoped that he is absolutely convinced that Suarez still has gas left in the tank to make his mark in the Premier League if we bring him in, as the touted move will come with an element of risk in terms of not working. That in turn could leave us with more of a headache than anything else if we can’t shift him as he continues to edge towards the latter stages of his illustrious career.