What to make of Luis Suarez’s £40m buy-out clause?

When Arsenal lodged a £40,000,001 bid last summer for Luis Suarez, they were mocked mercilessly by the media. But perhaps they shouldn’t have been.

Liverpool’s owner John Henry had some interesting stuff to say last week. After praising the Uruguayan striker to the hilt, he added:

“He had a buyout clause of £40million. Arsenal, one of our prime rivals – this year we’re tied for second – we’re actually second because of goal difference – offered  £40m plus £1. 

What we’ve [Fenway Sports Group] found, is that contracts don’t seem to mean a lot in England – actually, in world football. “Since apparently these contracts don’t seem to hold, we took the position that we’re just not selling.” (Source: The Daily Mirror)

Wow.

He also mentions how Liverpool were burnt on the Fernando Torres deal and didn’t want to lose out again in the transfer market. As a result, they opted against recognizing the release clause written into his contract. This will be considered a bold move by some and a downright unethical one by others.

It’s also worth noting that Torres’ situation and Suarez’s situation were not entirely comparable. The £50m that Liverpool received for the Spaniard represented the player’s market worth. In fact, given the way he’s offered diminishing returns ever since, I’d argue that the Reds came out on top of that deal.

Had Liverpool been forced into selling Suarez for £40m, they would received well under market value for a player who still has the best years of his career ahead of them. This may provide support to those who suggest that Liverpool were right to ignore Arsenal’s interest.

But this fails to account for the player himself. He signed a deal with Liverpool (seemingly) safe in the knowledge that he had a predefined exit route. In that sense, he was lied to, or at the very least misled.

That must be why he made a fuss when Brendan Rodgers refused to let him go. To then send him to train with the reserves seems like a rather unjust punishment.

The fact that he’s performed so well this season reflects well on his professionalism. But will the events of that summer weigh on his mind in the future? If he’s offered an escape route in the summer, won’t he still jump at the opportunity?

If he does, Liverpool will receive a decent fee for his sale. It will be a far better one than the one they would have got last summer. But they’ve also set a dangerous precedent. Things change quickly in football, so let’s just hope that the club’s carefree attitude doesn’t come back to bite them.

What’s your take? Were Liverpool wrong to deny Luis Suarez a move? Was their decision to ignore his release clause unethical?

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