Lucas buoyed by Suarez deal

Lucas Leiva believes Liverpool have shown they mean business by tying Luis Suarez down to a new long-term contract at Anfield.

The Uruguay striker took his astonishing goal tally to 19 from only 12 Premier League appearances as Brendan Rodgers’ side beat Cardiff City 3-1 to go top on Saturday.

Suarez looked destined to leave Anfield before the start of this season after stating his desire to play UEFA Champions League football.

However, Liverpool stood firm and the former Ajax man did a U-turn by putting pen to paper on a lucrative long-term deal on Friday.

Brazil midfielder Lucas views Suarez as the best player in the Premier League at the moment and hopes his rich vein of form continues as the Merseyside outfit strive to become English champions for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign.

He told LFC TV: “What he is doing this season and what he has done in the past few seasons he deserved that (his new contract).

“We can see he is really comfortable playing here. It (the new deal) is a positive message because the owners and manager said they want to keep their best players and at the moment he is not only our best player but the best player in the league.

“Hopefully he will maintain this form for a long time for the club.”

Liverpool will stay top of the table if Arsenal fail to beat Chelsea on Monday night.