Liverpool have blundered their way into a number of different disappointments this season, but the biggest one of all has to be signing Mario Balotelli. The Italian ace arrived surfing atop a wave of good feeling. That wave has now dissipated and fans have quickly begun to turn on him.
At the time of writing, Balotelli has made 9 appearances for The Reds and he’s scored just two goals (none of which have come in the Premier League). I doubt that this is the return that Brendan Rodgers would have expected when he spent £16m on the 23-year-old during the summer. Let’s not forget that Balotelli scored 30 goals in 54 appearances for AC Milan. He also has Premier League experience. He should be doing better.
When you consider that other Premier League strikers like Danny Welbeck and Diego Costa have made an immediate impact at their new clubs, it’s a little difficult to take. In all likelihood, it’s just a form issue, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Brendan Rodgers were to swoop into action. Could he be about to do something a little drastic during the January transfer window?
This brings me to The Metro‘s claim that Serie A side Napoli are considering taking Mario Balotelli off of Liverpool’s hands. The source even suggests that this could take place during the January transfer window. What a turn of events that would be. It would effectively be Brendan Rodgers throwing his hands up and shouting, ‘I got this one wrong’.
It’s almost unprecedented to send a new signing packing so soon after he’s arrived at his new club. If Rodgers is really considering it, he must have no faith in Balotelli whatsoever.
The aforementioned source claims that Napoli are prepared to offer as much as £10m in order to close the deal. That’s £6m less than The Reds spent on the Italian about three months ago. It’s not a great deal for Liverpool, but it should give Rodgers pause for thought.
I’m sure he’ll stand by his decision. At this stage, however, it’s worth considering every available option.
What’s your take? Would you cash in on Mario Balotelli?
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