Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has revealed that he decided to move to the Premier League after seeing the success Carlos Tevez had in England.

The Uruguayan forward plied his trade for Dutch outfit Groningen and later Eredivisie rivals Ajax, while Tevez broke on to the Premier League scene with West Ham United before joining Manchester United and then City.

Suarez said he felt as if he could replicate the Argentine’s performances because of their similar stature.

He told The Sun: “I watched Tevez when I was playing in Netherlands and I could see he was doing really well.

“His success was one of the things which motivated me to come here.

“I thought that if Tevez could do really well, then I could do too as I have a similar physical stature.”

Another quality the two South American strikers share is their on-field tenacity, but while it’s made Suarez the player he is today, it has also unfortunately placed him at the centre of plenty of unsavoury incidents.

He added: “I play football in a different way. I love it and put 100 per cent into it but I recognise sometimes this leads to unusual behaviour.

“I’ve worked hard to get where I am today and the 90 minutes on the pitch are so important to me. That’s why I fight so hard.”

Over the summer Suarez was continually linked with a move away from Anfield, with PSG and Juventus touted as possible destinations, but the 25-year-old insists at no point did he ever consider leaving Merseyside.

He continued: “There were clubs that wanted to sign me but my priority was always to stay and sign for Liverpool. The club has trust in me because of the work I do on the pitch and what happened in the past is over.

“I’m interested only in the Liverpool and Uruguay supporters.

“Other fans, of course, are fanatical about their own teams and it’s not as if they’re going to support an opposition player anyway so I’m not interested in the reception they give me.”

PROFILE
By Luke Matthews

In one of the least expected transfer sagas of the transfer window, Liverpool look to have beaten Arsenal to the season-long loan signing of Real Madrid’s Nuri Sahin. With a hefty fee apparently heading to the Bernabeu in return, Liverpool fans will be keen to know what they’re getting for their money.

Sahin joined Madrid last summer for a bargain £8.7 million on the back of inspiring Borussia Dortmund to a surprise Bundesliga title, winning the German top flight’s player of the season award in the process. Despite being at the then tender age of 22, many expected the Turk to be an eventual replacement for Xabi Alonso at the Bernabeu. However, Sahin’s career at Madrid is yet to really kick-off.

A knee injury picked up in August meant that by the time the midfielder returned to full fitness in November, Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira had continued where they had left off the season before – showcasing one of the most efficient midfield partnerships in Europe.

There were flashes of class from the former Dortmund man – his well-executed headed goal against Ponferradina in the Copa del Rey, along with his impressive displays in the middle of the park in both legs of Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final against APOEL Nicosia.

All in all it was a campaign to forget for Sahin, with the playmaker taking part in only four Liga games last term. With that in mind some supporters of the Anfield club may feel they’re getting an unwanted cast-off, someone who failed to make it at one of Europe’s elite sides. They would be wrong.

Last season was a write-off for Sahin; not because he performed poorly, he simply wasn’t given the chance to shine. During his final season with Dortmund the German-born midfielder established himself as the finest of his kind. Grabbing eight goals and 13 assists, the Turkey international was integral to BVB’s highly-lauded attacking style, often controlling the tempo of games from a deep playmaking role.

As for the big games, Sahin has a proven track record of stepping up to the mantle and thriving under the pressure and intensity. In 2010-11, Dortmund pulled off a league double over nearest rivals Bayern Munich, winning 2-0 at home and 3-1 away. In both games Sahin scored. Both games Sahin outplayed his opposite number, Bastian Schweinsteiger. Both games Sahin claimed the man of the match award.

Liverpool fans of course, will be hoping for the Sahin of 2010-11 to add some much needed quality to the centre of their midfield. With the Merseyside club having another hellish campaign last term, pressure is on new boss Brendan Rodgers to turn it around and the arrival of the 23-year-old is certainly a statement of intent.

After flirting with the prospect of winning the Premier League under Rafa Benitez in 2008-09, Xabi Alonso signed for Madrid before Javier Mascherano moved to Barcelona the following summer. Liverpool and their midfield have never been the same since.

The likes of Alberto Aquilani and Christian Poulsen have failed in their attempts to replace the pair while last season’s summer acquisitions, Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson, are still to convince the Anfield faithful.

In the early stages of his career at the club, it would seem Rodgers favours the attacking 4-3-3 formation that earned him so many plaudits at Swansea with two holding midfielders behind a more advanced figure.

The formation is a perfect fit for Sahin, a system where he could sit deep alongside the highly-rated Lucas Leiva and ping balls forward for the likes of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez, while also spreading it wide for Stuart Downing and Fabio Borini.

It’s worth adding that Sahin is not the same player as Xabi Alonso but with his passing ability, excellent awareness of space along with his eye for a killer ball, he could and should provide something Liverpool have been crying out for since 2009 – a little bit of class in the centre of the park.

After their sluggish start to the new Premier League campaign, Sahin’s imminent arrival is a welcome one and with the promising Joe Allen amongst the other summer arrivals, competition for places may just get the best out of Adam and Henderson.

Sahin may not have been given the chance to become Xabi Alonso’s successor at Madrid but for Liverpool, three years too late some may argue, he may just be given that chance.

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed that the club hope to complete the loan signing of Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin within the next 24 hours.

The Turkey international is expected to undergo a medical at the club’s Melwood training ground on Friday, after terms were agreed over a season-long switch.

“We hope that will be complete. I believe from the club that everything has been organised and sorted in terms of paperwork. So we’re hoping in the next 24 hours it can be done,” Rodgers told reporters.

The Reds were previously believed to have given up hope of signing Sahin, following reported interest from Arsenal and the Madrid man’s preference for a Champions League club.

However, it appears a last-minute change of heart from Gunners boss Arsene Wenger regarding a permanent deal at a later date has swung negotiations in the Merseyside outfit’s favour.

And Rodgers praised his latest acquisition, adding: “He’s a great technician. He was the player of the season in Germany and was the captain of Borussia Dortmund.

“He was fantastic at a very young age and got a move to Real Madrid and obviously through injury it hasn’t quite worked out for him.

“He’s a wonderful player technically and tactically, he understands the game and we hope that his extra bit of quality coming in will really help the group.”