Brendan Rodgers: I Did Everything To Keep Luis Suarez At Liverpool

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Reds boss confesses he tried to persuade star striker to stay at Anfield.

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Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has admitted that he did everything that he could to keep Luis Suarez at the club, according to Sky Sports.

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The Catalan giants announced on Wednesday that the controversial Uruguayan was “100 per cent” a Barca player, although the striker was conspicuous by his absence at a press conference due to his four-month FIFA ban from all football-related activity after biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder at the World Cup.

The incident saw pundits, critics and fans alike call for Rodgers to be rid of the Uruguayan international as it was the third time in his career that he had bitten an opponent.

However, Rodgers admitted that his move was more a result of the player’s desire to move to Catalonia rather than his antics in Brazil.

“We did everything we could as a club to keep Luis,” Rodgers said.

“He wanted to go and play in Spain, and unfortunately when a player no longer wants to play for you, we need as a club to look at it.

“It was his decision for him to go, he’s gone to Barcelona, a club he wanted to play for and now we’ll move on.

“I’m not sure if he would have gone regardless of the World Cup. But I never felt that towards the end of the season, and likewise he never said he would give us another year either. He had obviously signed a new deal so we had that.

“But I think we have had great service out of Luis and it’s one that we can’t worry too much about now, it’s done, it’s gone and our focus is here.

“There is a lot of work going on with the recruitment team in terms of getting in the right player and I am sure we can identify that.

“This club and many other clubs have shown over a period of time you move on, and believe me, it will be a really exciting season for us.”

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