Who benefits most from Mario Balotelli’s transfer? Liverpool or AC Milan

Date: 22nd August 2014 at 2:09pm
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Balotelli - AC MilanIn moving to Liverpool, Mario Balotelli is opening a new chapter in an eventful career, moving back to a country in which he divided opinion, and agreeing to work for a coach who has shown to be able to get the best out of players where other have failed.

Of course, the binary nature of the Italian international ensures that he moves to Merseyside followed by myriad caveats, with his off-field behaviour reportedly subject to clauses in his deal. On the surface, such precautions suggest that Brendan Rodgers is biting off more that he can chew yet, at €20 million, he is securing the services of a phenomenally talented footballer. The question that lingers over the deal is a difficult one; do Milan lose more than Liverpool gained with the transfer?

Adriano Galliani is a man famous for getting good value with his transfer dealings, and the arrival of Balotelli, in the winter of 2012 saw the Rossoneri paying €20m, two thirds of the price for which the striker left Italy for Manchester a couple of years before. With twelve goals in his first thirteen games, he looked set to repay that fee and more besides.

His first full season with the Diavolo was more low-key – not only did he score just ten goals, he lost his previously unimpeachable penalty record – and produced few memorable moments, the best of which was a glorious last-minute winner from improbable distance and angle that broke Bologna’s hearts.

One poor season was not enough alone to suggest Balotelli should be sold, but the disappointments that went with it, with Milan failing to qualify for the Champions League, and dispensing with two coaches on the way, meant that funds at the San Siro were in short supply. Selling a blue chip player like Balotelli would always seem to be the best to raise funds, not just bringing in a transfer fee, but taking a hefty wage off the bill as well.

In contrast, Liverpool were coming off a stellar season that saw them regain Champions League status, and are cash-rich after the sale of Luis Suarez, their inspiration, to Barcelona. An elite striker is just what the Reds needed and, for that same €20m fee, Ian Ayre is the latest director who looks to have secured a deal with Balotelli.

Still, for all his considerable talents (and they are indisputable – watch Italy’s Euro 2012 semi-final against Germany for the full extent of what a fit and properly motivated Balotelli can do), the 24 year old will move to England with considerable baggage. It is worth mentioning that the Italian’s misdemeanours fall more often under the category of ‘antics’ than the Uruguayan he is effectively replacing but, equally doubtlessly, if his form is seen to dip, attention will fall on his off-field life.

He moves to Liverpool with something to prove, too. 117 players scored 10 goals in Europe’s top five leagues last season, and Balotelli trailed that list with a conversion percentage of just 9.7%; certainly, as his frustration grew with Milan, he became rather trigger happy in front of goal. Having made only one assist with Manchester City – his willingness to shoot rather than pass is not a new thing; though he has averaged no more than a goal every 180 minutes over a season since he broke through at Inter.

In a team based around a collective rather than an individual – and for all Suarez’s many faults, he is a fine team-player, a willing runner and a hard worker. Those, to date, are not statements that describe Balotelli, meaning Rodgers has some work to do.

The money from the deal may well go some way to plugging the holes in Filippo Inzaghi’s team; talk of arrivals (such as Alessio Cerci from Torino) could only be met by raising funds and both the reduction of wage bill and cash injection from the departure of Balotelli should allow Galliani to bring enough quality to a squad to ensure a better finish than last season’s 8th.

As it stands, all parties could win in this deal, and all parties could lose.

If Liverpool can get the best out of Balotelli – and Rodgers has form in this field with an underperforming Filipe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge, both of whom had flattered to deceive at previous clubs – they have secured a wonderful player at a fabulous price.

If Milan can use the money to get back into the Champions League, then the sale of their prime asset has been for a worthwhile cause.

If Balotelli himself can settle and fire Liverpool to success, his on-field reputation may finally outstrip his off-field one.

The only person who has lost in this deal is 16 year old Adam Phillips. The Liverpool trainee is enjoying his debut season on the fringes of the first team squad, and had featured in a couple of pre-season friendlies. He had been allocated the squad number 45. He will, it’s fair to say, be unlikely to keep it.

 

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