Luis Suarez: The Decision

Heading into the summer, perhaps the biggest question that will envelop Liverpool is whether or not Luis Suarez will remain at Anfield for another year. While it is impossible in March to speculate on what Luis will decide, it seems useful to evaluate the factors that may influence his decision.

A key reason that is brought up by supporters as a reason for Suarez to stay at Liverpool is emotionally oriented. This reason is that he should stay in order to become an adored club legend. This is what we all want to happen. Because players like that are hard to come by these days. However, it doesn't seem that Suarez's decision will be solely for the purpose of being loyal and loved by the club. If he was truly that type of player, wouldn't Suarez still be playing at Ajax? And when has the guy ever shown a burning desire to be loved? I mean he is probably THE villain of world football at the moment. This is not to say that Suarez doesn't care. I genuinely believe the Liverpool badge has immense meaning to him. You can see a clear contrast between him and a player like Fernando Torres. Throughout his final tumultuous year and a half at Liverpool, Torres often wore a face of disinterest and distance. Part of that is the type of player Torres was and is, but part of that is that Torres just didn't care that much about the color of uniform he was wearing. Meanwhile, Suarez has given his full effort and energy every single match even in a season that has been unsuccessful relative to the striker's explosive talent. All things taken into account, staying only to cement a status with the club and fans will be at most a mere contributing factor to a much greater decision.

What are some of the other reasons that might influence Suarez to stay? Comfort is one. When moving to a new club, fitting in perfectly is far from a guarantee. At Liverpool, Suarez knows he is the star of the show. The fans and coaching staff are completely won over. But if he goes to a Champions League squad stocked twelve feet deep with talent, there's no guarantee he'll get consistent playing time let alone be a centerpiece. Alongside this, would Suarez really want to play for a team whose fans likely have battered him with hate over the last few years? RVP certainly didn't seem to mind upon moving to Manchester United.

The primary reasons why Suarez would want to leave revolve around trophies and money. At 26, he doesn't have that many prime years left to win a major trophy in. There's a chance Liverpool returns to the Champions League next year, but even then Suarez would be 28 at the youngest when he would actually play in the tournament. That could very well be too long of a wait. Also, Suarez would surely be payed much better upon a summer move.

It is likely that there are many more reasons on both sides that Suarez will have to consider or ignore. It will be fascinating, annoying, and possibly even heartbreaking to see how this saga plays out.