In the latest rumour to come out of the British press, Italian star Mario Balotelli has again been linked with a move to Anfield, despite Brendan Rodgers playing down speculation only a month or so ago.
This time, there appears to be some weight behind the conjecture as a response has been drawn out of the AC Milan camp.
Balotelli is a polarising figure in football, there is no getting away from that. But there is also no denying the player’s ability. A glance at his stats according to soccerbase.com indicates that since his move to AC Milan he has scored 26 goals in 37 starts.
A goal every second game in considered a very good record for a striker. Therefore, as the previous stat suggests, Balotelli is well beyond this figure. It could be argued that his record at Manchester City, where he scored 20 goals in 33, is even more significant. From this we can confidently conclude that he is a proven Premier League scorer.
Second to the impressive statistical record is that Balotelli is still just 24 years old. To get an idea of how much a player can improve from that age, look no further than one Luis Suarez. He too joined Liverpool at the established age of 24 from Ajax (where he also had an amazing goal scoring record of 81 in 110 appearances) and developed into a world class talent.
Perusing through forums and fan comments I am seeing a lot of ‘Oh but I could put up with Suarez’s baggage because he performed on the pitch’, Liverpool fans among them. Well, who’s to say that Balotelli won’t develop into another world class asset in the next three to four years?
Certainly other industry professionals believe he could. Former Inter Milan captain Javier Zanetti once stated, “He has world class potential and it would be a shame to waste so much talent”. Likewise, Roberto Mancini said while he was managing him at Manchester City, “He has everything to be one of the best players in the world”.
In my view, on the pitch and from performance analysis the signing is a no brainer. In Mario Balotelli you have a striker who will net you boundless amounts of goals. But as we know, it is his exploits off the pitch that have people questioning the move and doubting his commitment.
And who could blame them. Liverpool has developed an exceptional culture under Brendan Rodgers where young players have been able to learn and thrive within a fluid system that is built upon an attacking philosophy.
So the question is actually not, should Liverpool sign Mario Balotelli? It is, will signing Mario Balotelli destroy the positive culture at Liverpool?
My answer to this question is a resounding no.
Firstly, Rodgers displayed his terrific man management skills with the way he handled a volatile Suarez. There was the Branislav Ivanovic biting incident and then of course the manoeuvring by Suarez for a desired move to Real Madrid or Barcelona at the conclusion of the 2012/13 season.
Throughout this period Rodgers proved (by winning over many Liverpool fans with his leadership and ability to handle media pressure) that he was good enough and big enough to handle his own. He can deal with giant sized egos, and he can do the same with Balotelli.
Secondly, I believe the Liverpool fans will do everything in their power to help Mario help the team. Scousers are renowned for being one-eyed and even if you are not the type you would take home to your mother, the Reds fans will take a talented player under their wing because he is their man. Mario can feed off this to become the best.
This is a reciprocal process that Suarez knows well. All his sins were forgiven provided that he gave 100 per cent when he stepped out onto the Anfield pitch in a red shirt.
Lastly, in a worst case scenario where Balotelli was to do something that the club would need to distance themselves from, that process can certainly be enacted even in the unlikely instance of having to sell the player.
If for example, he was acquired for somewhere between 15 to 20 million pounds, he could be offered for sale at a cut price (for example 12 million), meaning only a relatively small financial loss would be the outcome. I know this is assuming there would be a buyer, but if there in none simply lower the price until there is.
In light of this I certainly believe he is worth the risk, for the potential for him to be sold in three to four seasons for triple the price Liverpool are about to pay. That is what I would call a very large carrot.
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