If we learned one thing last summer about Liverpool’s principal owner John W. Henry, it’s that he’s a intelligent and all together ballsy individual.
With Premier League rivals Arsenal hot on the trail of want-away striker Luis Suarez and a bid totalling £1 over what was in actuality a £40mil release clause sitting on the table, the billionaire Bostonian asked the public what they were smoking over at the Emirates and flat out refused to sell the Reds star man, declaring that he wouldn’t be sold to anyone, at any price. Fast forward a year and the Anfield outfit have qualified for the Champions League, finishing runners-up to eventual champions Manchester City in the process, and have secured a fee of £35mil more than what the Gunners were offering last summer all the while ensuring that Europe would be the only place they could possibly meet.
You don’t get dumptrucks full of money by being a stupid dummy head and it’s with that in mind that Henry can play down the mercurial Uruguayan’s departure without sounding in the least bit smarmy. “It was time for Luis and time for the club to make a break” he told the press after watching Liverpool fall 1-0 to AS Roma in a pre-season friendly at Fenway Park. “He brought so much to the club but we brought a lot to Luis. I think you will still see a very explosive Liverpool offense this season.”
With a massive transfer kitty at his disposal, Reds boss Brendan Rodgers has already set about bringing in replacements with the likes of QPR striker Loic Remy set to join fellow Premier League pair Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana on Merseyside. The Northern Irishman has also been recruiting from abroad with highly rated midfielder Emre Can and explosive winger Lazar Markovic brought into the fold as well. With over a month left in the window, it’s starting to look like Henry is going to be proven right yet again…
