Why Signing This £75million Liverpool Star Is A Bad Move For Barcelona

Although it hasn’t been too long since Luis Suarez’s proposed move to Barcelona went through, but there have already been people questioning the transfer. While Liverpool fans aren’t too happy about it, it is the Blaugrana faithful who are questioning why their club have spent £75 million to bring home a 27-year-old striker. Some are calling it the match made in heaven, while others haven’t been too kind on the player who they think will tarnish the club’s image.

Which of those supporters are right? Was making Suarez the third-biggest transfer of all-time a bad move by Barcelona or have they seen something that the others have missed? Let us a took a look at where he fits in at Barcelona and whether he is the right man for the club who have become notoriously difficult for strikers to fit into.

First and foremost, most people’s problem with the move is the money involved. One thing is for sure, Liverpool wouldn’t have let go of the Uruguayan striker on the cheap and any move to bring him to Camp Nou was always going to be expensive. Whether he is worth almost as much as Cristiano Ronaldo is questionable, but his numbers over the past few years have been nothing short of phenomenal.

The second problem that a lot of people had with his move, was his age, both Bale and Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid for vast sums of money when they were in their early 20’s which meant that they had a sell-on value. At 27, Suarez is unlikely to move to another club before his career is over and even if he does, he will fetch Barcelona nowhere near the same amount they paid for him. But when you want proven goal scorers who can change the game in an instant that is the price that you sometimes have to pay.

Where he fits in is another interesting dilemma for new manager Luis Enrique. Although it has been very clear that Barcelona need a Number nine who can just score goals, what has been very evident is that, they, like Spain play a system that is notoriously difficult for a striker. If you have a striker who isn’t very mobile and just scores goals, he is likely to feel isolated up front.

Fortunately for Barcelona, Suarez is a highly mobile forward, who will fit into their high-pressing system. Not only does he score a lot of goals but he creates as well. And a front three of Neymar, Suarez and Messi will mean that they will have three players who equally adept at the art of both scoring and creating chances for their teammates. While this might mean that Iniesta will have to play a little deeper, the simple fact that is they will have, arguably the deadliest front three in Europe.

While Suarez certainly fits into the system employed by Barcelona and will only get better with time, his off the ball antics mean that the supporters are right to question the move. As a result of various bans and suspensions, the 27-year-old has missed 32 games since arriving at Liverpool in 2011. His latest incident, which involved him biting an opponent, led to him being banned from football for four months.

While he has had the support of Liverpool throughout those testing times and has vowed to not repeat his actions ever again, can Barcelona afford to trust a striker who has a history of such histrionics? Does the signing of a player who racially abuses and bites others a good signal to send out?

The simple truth is that all of this is a small price Barcelona had to pay after a torrid season. They had to prove to the fans and to the world that they aren’t afraid to spend money and were worried that if they didn’t sign Suarez, Real Madrid might and that might make their task even more difficult. While Suarez is certainly good signing for them in purely footballing terms, so far the Uruguayan’s career has shown that he has been known to stray from the path far too often. So in that sense, Suarez might just be a bad move for a club that prides itself on his rich history.