22 Aug 2014

Huge Blow? Bad news for Liverpool fans as LFC fail to complete €20m Balotelli deal in time for Man City game

Liverpool are expected to complete the signing of Mario Balotelli at some point today, but there's some bad news for Reds fans expecting him to make his debut against Manchester City on Monday.

Premier League rules state that only players signed and registered before 12pm on Fridays can be eligible for matches on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

It's a shame, as a victory over Man City at this stage of the season will be massive, and having Balotelli in the team will give the Reds another weapon to deploy in pursuit of the three points.

Of course, the Reds are still capable of beating City without Balotelli, but when it comes to the romance of football, it wouldn't been great to see him make his debut - and score - against his old club.

It's arguably a major blow for Liverpool, as Balotelli has a knack of scoring goals on his debut:

* 2007: Two goals against Reggina on his first start for Inter Milan.

* 2008: Goal against Greece on his debut for Italy's U21 team.

* 2010: Winning Europa League goal against Politehnica Timişoara on his debut for Man City.

* 2011: Scored against Villareal on his Champions League debut for Man City.

* 2013: Two goals against Udinese on his debut for AC Milan:

Still, if Balotelli makes his debut against Spurs, then a goal against the Londoners will be equally welcome.

Meanwhile, Italy legend Andrea Pirlo insists that Balotelli is a changed man. When asked about his compatriot's LFC transfer today, he told reporters:

"Mario has matured since he has been back in Italy. He will be the first to admit when he was younger he made some mistakes - but he is not that player anymore. Anybody who still talks about him in that way is living in the past"

That's definitely good news, and if Pirlo is right, then Liverpool are set to make one hell of a signing.

Author:


104 comments:

  1. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:50 pm, August 22, 2014

    you scared me for a moment!
    phew!

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  2. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:51 pm, August 22, 2014

    we're gonna win the league , we're gonna win the league and now your gonna believe us , now your gonna believe us !

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  3. I can't really see a downside now I've had chance to weigh things up. We can get £112m for him all day long even if it goes badly; if he does for Balo what he did for Suarez, £4m more than Shane Long will be bargain of the year

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  4. I don't think he would've played even he was to be available.

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  5. Damn Jamie, I read the headline and thought the transfer had failed, who pays for the coffee stains,

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  6. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:54 pm, August 22, 2014

    I think he will give 100%
    he would not leave milan his birth place for a city he does not like and also supposedly take a pay cut

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  7. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:54 pm, August 22, 2014

    exactly!

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  8. Do you mean £2m more than Borini's value. What a steal.

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  9. Or £1m more than Zaha. Well done Alex...

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  10. I was really scared after reading the first part of the headlines....phew

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  11. Pha hahahahahaha only the start of the title was viewable on newsnow.co.uk!!! Had a panic until I clicked on it!

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  12. Lol, read the title of the article and almost craped myself!

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  13. News flash your not, Balotelli is 1% the player Suarez is and you didn't win it with him so I would forget the thought of balo and emre can firing you to glory

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  14. Yeah, cos they're the only hope we have...
    Total pudding.

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  15. Haha Jaimie, looks like your plan of scaring the pants of pool fans by that headline seemed to have worked. Just hope you did not cause too many heart attacks. The last thing Liverpool need is another Remy situation.

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  16. Actually, I think JK has done us all a favour. I wonder how many people who were unsure about MB are feeling relieved now?

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  17. It would be a huge blessing in disguise. Odds for him getting red-carded is high in this game (if he was available).

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  18. Certainly not a major blow. We still have Sturridge, fully fit and thinking of revenge against his old club. I'd like BR to play this formation-
    ..........................Mignolet............................
    Manquillo......Lovren......Skrtel.......Moreno
    ................Gerrard..........Henderson............
    Markovic.............Coutinho..............Sterling
    ............................Sturridge.........................

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  19. Suppose your right I apologise, you have Rickie lambert as well and he is big enough to count as two players, my bad.

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  20. It's safe to say that, "Huge Blow" is a HUGE overstatement...

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  21. Sorry, I can't control how the headline appears on NN (!)


    Sent from Samsung Mobile

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  22. The voice of reason.8:12 pm, August 22, 2014

    Now i hope everybody`s happy we have a so called ".marquee" signing i`m personally over the moon, i think we could well be challenging for the league now, but not that i`m not satisfied but Alex song would just be the Icing on the cake. Roll on you mighty red men.

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  23. Pirlo is ALWAYS right...
    About EVERYTHING...

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  24. Well believe it or not, unsubstantiated drivel like the comments from you so far are given short shrift here- back it up or keep it shut....

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  25. Super Mario!!!! German fan will never forget that moment.hahahaha

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  26. Maybe you forgot a guy called "The Studge".

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  27. Liverpool's all-round team is much stronger with good fullbacks added, a good midfielder, a leader in defense, and attacking players like Lallana, Markovic, Mario, plus Sterling is getting better each year. Winning the title is always extremely difficult but once Liverpool contend it, we'll be happy.

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  28. I would hope man city away meant BR should be a tad cautious and play allen or can instead of Markovic.If enforcement s are required marko or lambert can always come off the bench.

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  29. Balotelli is better than anything Arsenal have and that includes Sanchez who can't even cross the ball properly.

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  30. Nevergonnacrackthecode8:37 pm, August 22, 2014

    jamie likes playing tricks on us
    he is like the computer version of balotelli

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  31. no of coarse you cant

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  32. Right its 21:45 nearly Mario`s curfew time, Brendans going to tuck you in now go to sleep nighty night son.

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  33. when does reus sign ??? ;)
    just kidding !!
    eto"o to !!

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  34. Delighted! One less game of agony.

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  35. You're all about headline grabbing! Sensationalism at its worst! How could you!!!!

    :)

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  36. or 5 times less than Suarez

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  37. Me personally i wouldn`t want Eto,o coming in, but i`m not the manager but i hope this Isn`t true.

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  38. Pirlo definitely a person who Mario respects and listens to , you can see that when they play for italy he seems to be always giving him advice and Mario responds well to him ...LFc Roots

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  39. Yes but for liverpools sake hopefully he will acquire a new position as bench warmer

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  40. Hahaha I'm not an Arsenal fan but that is nonsense what a reach that comment is.

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  41. Not an English team to be honest, but don't feel sorry for me I don't have to live life with a spouse accent

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  42. Mike I have to say I was enjoying our banter especially considering you called me a pudding which made me piss! Everyone else is all a bit too serious gets boring, good luck this season.

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  43. To be honest I baulked when I first heard of Liverpool's efforts to sign Eto'o a few weeks back, but if he's brought in on a one year deal as a 3rd/4th choice striker then the signing makes far more sense.

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  44. You obviously have no idea. Can hasn't made his competitive debut yet, so how on earth can you say acquire a new position on the bench?

    I suggest the Arsenal forums would be a better fit for you. Lots of guys who support other teams comment and are welcome to, but at least try to make sure what you say makes sense otherwise why bother?

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  45. I don't think any of us thought for one minute you were married.

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  46. Agony for you, maybe. We all know you don't want Balotelli
    Got a crystal ball as well it seems...

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  47. Nevergonnacrackthecode9:43 pm, August 22, 2014

    oh my gosh !

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  48. I notice your total lack of conviction (or courage even) in not even standing up for your support of your own team , how admirable.
    We feel sorry for you for a number of reasons, but I doubt you'd understand any of them. You can't even get your insults right...

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  49. Nevergonnacrackthecode10:04 pm, August 22, 2014

    its not all rosey


    the guardian say rodgers will meet eto and judge him
    if he does not like him we will sign eto






    that would be a killer for us fans if that happens after getting so excited about balotelli

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  50. Should be OK, as long as he doesn't throw darts at Rodger's face.

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  51. would guess bought in for the experience and europe, think it could be another shrewd move, only left chelsea because moaninho upset him.
    better than borini for me, its never going to happen for him at lfc. id rather have ibe all day long.

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  52. Nevergonnacrackthecode10:13 pm, August 22, 2014

    still the prospect of having eto at our club
    frightens me

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  53. Nevergonnacrackthecode10:13 pm, August 22, 2014

    we should get both




    sell borini
    and make lambert 4th choice

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  54. with a decent subs bench !! how times have changed !!

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  55. Frightens me too - what is he now? 56, 57 years old? Decent back up though, knows his way around a Champion's league tie.

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  56. my heart was in my mouth then aha, before i clicked the link the last word was deal, phew :)

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  57. Nevergonnacrackthecode10:20 pm, August 22, 2014

    It will be really disappointing if we only sign eto and not balotelli


    especially after increasing our expectations and all the fanfare with balotelli


    rodgers should have talked to balotelli before agreeing the fee i doubt milan would have intervened


    now after all the fanfare if we only get eto the club will be surrounded by negativity and rodgers would ahve caused it with his bizarre decision

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  58. Stuart,
    I don't know you at all but you are a funny guy. I chuckled all the way out here on your post to Fabian........

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  59. Dude I was with you in as much as I didn't want him but now its happened we've got to try and support him. Granted he's a gamble but he's one that may very well pay off. Glass isn't always half empty man...

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  60. wouldn't markovic and sterling swap sides in your post????

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  61. Markovic, Lallana, Sterling, Coutinho, Sturridge... We'll be alright this season sunshine don't you worry about that. Assuming you're a gooner, we maybe didn't win the league last season but we finished 2 places above your prawn sandwich munching ladyboys

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  62. JK I thought you'd say the deal fell through! We certainly have enough firepower to cope without Ballotelli especially if we drop Lucas for Can!

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  63. Fortunately my spouse has the same accent as me. Had your missus got an annoying accent? If mine did don't think I'd fancy a spouse accent either. Fud

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  64. I seen him play for Leverkusen you mong

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  65. I've enjoyed every one of your comments so far on this page. Keep up the good work mike

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  66. Spot on mate

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  67. I would keep Borini over Eto'o any day

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  68. What a pudding did you think can had just come out of thin air and signed for liverpool

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  69. Not a gooner and if your trying to pretend you have seen markovic play enough to rate him you can forget it, you do t even get sky in pool yet do you

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  70. Eric...you gotta get on board mate or what may turn out to be a joyous season will be miserable as you wait for the "I told you so" event that may never happen. There's plenty of time for that if things don't work out, but you ought to at least give yourself a chance to be excited. He might be a loose cannon, but he's OUR loose cannon.

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  71. You have it backwards. Lambert will never be quick or fast enough to play in our attack. Keep Borini. He has a nose for drama and he's fast.

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  72. Fuck off troll

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  73. Lol cant spell either it seems

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  74. Hahaha i know right? I was like ahh shit what's happened .

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  75. Not necessarily. Both can play either side

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  76. Not for his wage demand it doesn`t mate.

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  77. ...Balotelli is signing...

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  78. Cant believe Liverpool have actively sought the services of a notorious Bad Apple.
    How can he be a good example to any player, not just the young uns coming through?
    Last thing they need.
    The whole of football will now be waiting for the next edition of Marios Mad Moments.
    Even Liverpool fans, except the odd one or two dont even want him.
    Crazy decision.

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  79. You are clearly wrong by saying most LFC fans don't want him...

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  80. Diving is bad but click bait for hits isn't. Remember that kiddies

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  81. He will cause havoc to defences! Great stuff .

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  82. I agree. The booked counted us out of top four lets prove them all wrong!

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  83. You are being a dumkopf.

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  84. Mertesacker will be shitting bricks hearing this news hahahahah (remembering Germany vs Italy)

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  85. Matt Skeffington3:53 am, August 23, 2014

    I haven't really read any comments from LFC fans that don't want Mario....

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  86. Mario will. He likes handing out money...

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  87. No one with liverpool wanted him to play monday. Imagine, probably would come in off the bench to boos and insults, and jeered every time he touches the ball. Say we lose. Huge confidence and self esteem killer. Not the way to start his (hopefully) long liverpool career.

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  88. Did we not want Suarez then? to be fair Suarez was more of a distraction to our young uns, with his antics on the field, Mario`s a bit eccentric yes i agree but he doesn`t go biting people, so i disagree the youth never seemed to suffer with Suarez`s antics so no argument really.

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  89. The fact the Liverpool are looking at bringing Eto'o in tells you all you need to know about how well the transfer negotiations are going. Maybe Mario will be available for the game at Anfield.

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  90. Get those t shirts printed!

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  91. Dont forget the young Mr Eto'o. Liverpool are going to walk the title this season.

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  92. Liverpool fans were telling everyone who would listen that Can was the new Yaya Toure. Now hes looking more like Kolo.

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  93. If we do sell Borini for 14mil and Sign balotelli for 16mil I hope people give some credit to Ayres as that is some fantastic work.

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  94. You commenting is a good thing. Sums you up.

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  95. You know something, if Balotelli turns himself around I would say that is a GOOD example to the youngsters. It will show them how the game can effect you in a negative way and how you can turn it around. With the help of decent people around you and a good club of course. IMO I think he will be fine. Welcome Mario. YNWA

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  96. Misleading headline to ensure inflated number of hits, typical of this site.

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  97. Against Southampton our 4-2-3-1 formation in the first half of the game did not work too well. We looked a lot sharper after we changed to a diamond-like set-up with 2 up front.


    I would prefer we play Sterling alongside Sturridge up front, and Coutinho behind those two in the hole. And bring in Can on the left side of midfield, as we will need some steel against the hulks in the City midfield.

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  98. disqus_OCrygZLL239:10 am, August 23, 2014

    Spouse accent you twat? But just the name Fabian haha

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  99. B Rodgers should now ship out these players and bring in £30M in Sales:


    B Jones GK S Coates CB K Toure CB G Johnson RB


    L Leiva DM O Assaidi RW / RWF F Borini FD




    And B Rodgers should bring in these three players to end a successful transfer window along with Balotelli:


    GK DM RW / RWF




    1:Romero Of Sampdoria or A Mccarthy Of Reading for £2-£4M


    2:C Tiote Of Newcastle or E Capoue Of Tottenham for £5-£9M


    3:M Reus Of B Dortund Or Pedro Of Barcelona for £23- £28M

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  100. Why not sell brad jones for 350million and buy bale and Ronaldo ?

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