Jamie Carragher pinpoints Arsene Wenger's 'biggest mistake' during Arsenal reign

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has identified Arsene Wenger's biggest failure during the Frenchman's 20-year reign as the manager of Arsenal. The Gunners boss has won three league titles, six FA Cups and led his team unbeaten through an entire Premier League season but he has also gone 12 years without a league trophy and faced other difficulties during his time at the club thus far.

The former Reds defender, however, believes his failure to lure Luis Suarez to the Emirates Stadium from the Merseyside club during the July 2013 summer transfer window is his biggest mistake, which cost them the best chance of winning the English top-flight title. Wenger famously made a £40m ($57.6m) + £1 bid for the then Liverpool star in the hope of triggering a release-clause but in turn the club's offer was termed disrespectful and ensured that the Reds would never part with their star forward.

The Uruguayan forward went on to score 31 goals and provide 21 assists during the 2013/14 campaign, which took Liverpool close to winning the Premier League only for the Reds to falter in the final games of the season. He has since moved to Barcelona in a £75m deal and is currently the best No 9 in the world with 49 goals and 25 assists in 48 games in all competitions thus far this campaign.

Carragher is adamant that had Wenger succeeded in luring the former Ajax forward to north London with a more serious offer, Arsenal were sure to have won at least two of the last three Premier League titles.

"If you look back at Wenger's 20 years in English football, there are so many highlights, but that day in July 2013, with the bid that enraged Liverpool, cannot be ignored. Not signing Suarez is the biggest mistake of Wenger's reign," Carragher wrote in his Daily Mail column.

"He's always been careful with money, only spending when he is sure he'll get maximum value. It's a sign of how stable Wenger is in his job that he can wait and wait. Look at what he did last summer, for instance, when signing goalkeeper Petr Cech from Chelsea but no outfield players."

"Had Arsenal pushed the boundaries for Suarez, perhaps with an offer of £50m, I believe they would have won the Barclays Premier League in two of the last three seasons. That's the thing about Suarez: whichever team he plays for, he drags them to a higher level," the former Reds defender added.