Arsenal vs Liverpool: Arsene Wenger relates Reds' Raheem Sterling decision with Suarez transfer

Arsene Wenger has revealed that he has no sympathy for Liverpool for their failure to keep Raheem Sterling at Anfield as they had previously refused to allow them to complete a deal for Luis Suarez.

The Gunners had made a shock swoop for Suarez in the summer of 2013 and had reportedly activated his release clause, but the Reds refused to sell, a move which paid off in the long run, as they fell only two points short of winning their first league title in over two decades.

Sterling and Sturridge were the two other players who were instrumental in leading the Reds to score more than 100 goals in the season but Brendan Rodgers currently finds himself in a situation where he has none of the prolific three to help oversee their attack when they take on Arsenal at the Emirates on Monday, 24 August.

"Liverpool is in a position they can make their own decisions. They refused to sell us Suarez, so I cannot feel too much sympathy for them," Wenger said as quoted by the Mirror.

The Gunners helped themselves to a lacklustre Liverpool team in the same fixture last season when they beat them 4-1, with Alexis Sanchez, Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud getting into the scoresheet. Sterling, who was part of the eleven when the two met last time has since made his way to Manchester City, where he has been in brilliant form since the start of the season.

Wenger defended the player by stating that he did not make a mess of the situation midway through the season and was within his rights to demand a move to a club elsewhere.

"I personally don't think that Sterling was making a lot of drama. It's just during the transfer window that that happened," the Frenchman continued.

"During the season, the boy was quiet - never made any stupid statement. I don't think he made too much noise.

"He's a quality player. They bought Firmino. We will see what he will produce. He is a similar player.

"But let's remember, two years ago with Suarez, Sturridge, Sterling, they scored over a hundred goals. To score more than a hundred goals in the Premier League, you need special quality, and Sterling was part of that," he added.