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Few players on Liverpool know Luis Suarez better than Lucas Leiva. Lucas warms even the most cold and stony of hearts here at The Liverpool Offside, and his regular wrangling of his South American compatriots for a bit of homestyle hospitality seems to be an integral bit of social glue that holds a subset of players, including Suarez, together. Word is still out on whether or not Lucas is a Corona or Smirnoff Ice guy, but the man responsible for family games night certainly feels that his friend and teammate merits his brand new contract.
“With what he is doing this season and what he has done for the past few seasons, he deserves that (deal),” said the club's resident Monopoly banker. “We can see that he is really comfortable playing here. It's a positive message — the manager and owners have always said that they want to keep our best players.
“At the moment he is probably not just our best player, but the best player in the league. We are glad to have him here and hopefully he will maintain in this form for a long time for the club.”
Dear sweet modest Lucas, "probably" the best in the league? The midfielder is likely just as aware as the rest of the Premier League that no one else is on a remotely similar run of form that is leaving a path of scorched earth in their wake the way Suarez is. That form is helping the club return Anfield to its status as a much vaunted fortress, and Lucas is pleased by the response this has brought out in the fans.
"We know Anfield is always a good place to play," the Brazilian continued, "it's our home and we can see that the fans are really excited by what we are doing this season."
