14 Dec 2014

You're Out: LFC agree to sell 'exceptional' €20m star for huge 50% loss. Transfer Fail?

Last month, Brendan Rodgers revealed his frustration with Balotelli's paucity in front of goal, and hinted that the Italian could be sold in January. After spending €20m on him in the summer, that seems unlikely, but the speculation just keeps on coming, and reports today claim that an early exit for the Italian striker is definitely on the cards.

According to reports today:

* Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini is keen to sign Balotell.

* LFC are willing to sell for £8m, which will represent a 50% loss.

This follows a November exclusive in Italian newspaper Tutto Mercato, which claimed that:

* Balotelli's Agent, Mino Raiola, is working behind the scenes to secure a January transfer.
* Balotelli wants the move 'soon', and has made himself 'available' for a transfer.

Hmmm. After the problems between the two at Man City, a reunion seems unlikely, but Mancini seems to have an almost paternal attachment to Balotelli, and it could be a 'prodigal son' situation for the Italian boss.

I was in favour of signing Balotelli, but only because of the comparative bargain of a transfer fee, and if Rodgers decides to dump him in January, then so be it. The brutal truth is that Liverpool won't miss Balotelli, and with another striker almost certain to come in (plus Sturridge to return) his chances of regular first-team football look set to rapidly dissipate anyway.

One man who'd love to see Balotelli at Napoli is Diego Maradona, who urged Benitez to sign the Italian prior to his Anfield move. Over the summer, he raved:

"If I were the president of Napoli, my first decision would be to sign Mario Balotelli. He is an exceptional player and there would be no problem controlling him. If there was ever a problem with Mario, I would take care of it personally and everything would be fine."

I doubt Reds fans will shed many tears over Balotelli's exit. Indeed, in a recent poll on the site, 77% of fans voted Liverpool to sell the Italian, which is an emphatic vote of no-confidence.

Balotelli's exit is seemingly inevitable, but if Liverpool flog him for £8m, it will be yet another failure to add to Rodgers' already significant list of transfer duds.

* I'm not serious

Author:


45 comments:

  1. We all read so much bullshit on these Sports features but I sure as hell hope this one is right.

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  2. we need to get rid of rodgers out out !

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  3. We need to do something drastic after our inability to score any goals from glorious chance after glorious chance. If that means balotelli goes then no issue with that. Team looked a little better but not close to the speed and energy of last season. We need a world class star to add that brings our swagger back and not just a striker.

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  4. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:36 pm, December 14, 2014

    He could still be a good striker with a good striker up front with him
    Him and Sterling looked good togetehr


    Maybe Joel Campbell if funds are low

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  5. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:39 pm, December 14, 2014

    This should be our team from now on:


    .............................................................Sterling......Balotelli
    ...............................................................Lallana/Coutinho
    .........................................Moreno...........Can......Gerrrad......Henderson
    ............................................................Lovren......Skrtel.....Johnson
    .......................................................................Mignolet


    That was the most fluent i seen us since spurs away
    and seems the only way we can play two up top like we all want without being opened up wide

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  6. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:40 pm, December 14, 2014

    rodgers is slowly improving and getting it
    now dropping allen for can is the last phase of the transition

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  7. RODGERS, lovren,allen,JOHNSON,skrtel, ballotelli,borini and lambert are not good enough, regardless of a faith healer!! the likes of mignolet and henderson need to buck up or get out. klopp , diego simeone or raffa are the only big names and realistic to maybe take over and make an impact and attract the players that didnt want to sign

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  8. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:42 pm, December 14, 2014

    is the echo said
    fsg can pay fees but they will not pay wages why do you think we are never involved in a bidding war
    Performance related wages are as good as sh**t to top players

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  9. the team only looked better when rodgers went against his grain and played 4-4-2. the defence is the biggest problem, the worst in my 30 years following the reds. just pathetic no leaders and soft as my ,,,,,,

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  10. we have been like this all season but some folk just wont admit it ....no style of play , constant changing of team , no structure , knee jerk selections and substitutions

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  11. that defence should be real tuff to crack

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  12. Yeah I have to agree, Balotelli isn't playing well but very few are. Confidence is rock bottom and BR isn't helping at all with his strange formations and constantly picking off form players. Playing Allen in front of Lucas was the worst decision for me today, I'm not really one for calling for managers to be sacked but something drastic has to be done.

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  13. Story goes Gerrard and Lovren had a bust up after Palace game which led to Lovren being dropped for 4 games - after today he will be out til March

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  14. that shows how much power gerrard yields behind the scenes

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  15. Yea cos Rodgers sided with Gerrard when he was just as bad both then and today

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  16. balo like sako is the easy target ,,.......strange we where losing 2 nil already when balo come on but it must still be his fault

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  17. exactly gene but your not allowed to say that

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  18. I've thought of a new word for our defending.....cunwanfucollocks.

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  19. just dont know what rogers is trying to do, he is only making matters worse for himself and more importantly the club with his dodgey decision making

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  20. Wonder what was going through his mind.


    Tick tock...

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  21. 4-4-2= mignolet
    moreno .........sakho.....toure........flano/manquillo
    sterling..........lucas/can.........gerrard............lallana
    borini/sturridge..............balotelli


    mix of experience and youth, i know couple injured. but most the top teams just make 2-3 changes if any over 2-3 games

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  22. were a bit short in midfield...

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  23. "Football is a matter of life and death, except more important."


    The great BILL SHANKLY

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  24. And there goes the "if anyone can turn players around, it's Rodgers myth

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  25. We are stuck with the majority of this lot til the summer- who in their right mind would want to buy them

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  26. Ballotelli is one of many many problems that face LFC. By far the biggest is BR & his transfers. The defensive problems, including central defensive partnership & our fragile defensive midfield is just as important if not more so because it's been a problem for years.

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  27. not so smug in his last interview looked ill. will losing to bournemouth or the gooners be his last

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  28. This year it is highlighting to me is that BR maybe a great coach but as a manager, I am not to sure. Last year we had a small squad and the team essentially picked itself. They could keep the same 11 most of the time and play one system (diamond formation, score more goals than the opposition; Kevin Keegan style). The problem with this basic tactical plan is; if you have no good strikers, you may not score any goals. BR has always leaked goals with every team he has managed and his goals against are more than games he has played so history tells you he does not build teams to defend well. Last year masked this statistic as his Kevin Keegan style football worked however the statistic was lurking in the background and growing (remember the 50 league goals against last year), this year you would think knowing he had no strikers he would offer another tactic. So far he has spent a fortune on a defence;
    Mignolet - 10million
    Sakho - 18 million
    Llori - 7 million
    Loveren - 20 million
    Moreno - 12 million
    Toure - free


    Thats 67 million on defenders and a goal keeper so their should be no excuses about the defence as it is essentially his making. The problem is no matter how much he spends the same problem that has been endemic in all the teams he has managed is; he lets in more than game he plays. I hope he does get it right and turns a corner as I do like the football we play when we get it right but it all depends on the owners, they have backed him with 200m and when you look at the liverpool team today, you need another 200m invested to ensure we get into top 4!!!!

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  29. Lol apparently £70K a week is not enough!

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  30. Spouting nonsense as usual. Is that why Allen starts? He got skinned all game.

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  31. I'd snap his hand off for the £8M!

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  32. Haha, don't waste your time, Adam.

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  33. I agree. Sterling's lack of composure and horrible first touch let us down, because the team was doing pretty well. We then got done with a blatant offside goal and the game was all over. Conceding the first to Rooney was just typical Liverpool.


    The three at the back was interesting, but I don't think Rodgers did anything wrong this morning. It's United away and we had zero luck. Not necessarily an excuse, but IMO we could have easily won the game just as we did last season. It would be harsh if Rodgers got sacked after this one. Any drastic action with a short sighted view will only knock us down further.

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  34. Can anyone realise that Balo is not the problem? Obviously you're not gonna replace Suarez. But you can bloody well make up for it in other areas of the pitch. Anyway although often unsuccessful Balo is the only one with an balls to shoot. Its looking like we need another 100-150m outlay to get us going again.
    Gk-Cech-7M Begovic 7-10m Ruffier 7-10m
    Rb-Montoya 11m
    Cb-Fabian Schar 7-10m
    Cdm-Gustavo-12-24m
    Lw/Rw-Pedro/Shaqiri-Both around 10-25m
    St-Rotate with Baalo and Sturridge-Doumbia-Jackson Martinez-Bony
    And a world class player
    Reus-40M
    However unlikely it may be lets give it a go ey, as we are disgusting

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  35. Lovren is class! looooooooooool yeah, his set up for their 3rd goal was top drawer! add it to his list of blinding defensive errors.

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  36. I wouldn't play Lovren ever again. No way ! Try Sakho

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  37. That's the standard reaction to your comments.

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  38. nevergonnacrackhislineups

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  39. "Rodgers is not the right man"
    ~Bill Shankly

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  40. The Problem is not M Balotelli(24) at all, he plays good with class, creative, mobile, pacey, quick players alongside or in front of him.


    The problems are : We have weak poor first choice GK: S Mignolet(26)


    B Rodgers does not drop our weakest links in side the golden oldies are now old news: G Johnson (30) RB M Skrtel(30) and S Gerrard(34)


    B Rodgers also never ever drops these two average playing midfielders who only offer mobility, a bit of pace, good pressing and can pass backwards and side ways well. Both lack class and creativity in the final third, both do lack scoring goals from centre of park. And both of them offer the defence very little protection in front of them.


    In January These 6 players need to be shipped out and replaced by these 7 class experienced players:


    6 Out:
    B Jones(32) GK G Johnson(30) RB L Leiva(27) DM


    J Allen(24) CM Suso (20) AM F Borini(23) FD




    Ins:


    2 Defensive players: GK DM


    1: GK: A Begovic(27) Of Stoke for £10-£14M to displace S Mignolet(26) from the first 11


    2: DM: M Schneiderlin(25) Of Southampton for £16-£22M to displace S Gerrard(34) from first 11 as DM


    5 Class creative experienced players: CM RWF/ LWF LW FD FD


    3: CM: Y Cabaye(29) Of PSG for £16-£18M to dislodge J Henderson(24) from the first 11


    4 and 5: FD / RWF P Aubamayeng(25) and M Reus(25) Of Borussia Dortmund should be brought to club for combined total of £42M


    6: LW: A Ayew(24) Of Marseille for £4M in January or to be signed on Pre contract and brought to club for free in summer.


    7: FD: L Adriano(27) Of Shakhtar Donesk for £5-£7M in January or to be signed on Pre Contract and brought to club for free in the summer.




    Begovic(27) and Schneiderlin(25) would bring some more power, protection and steel to defensive side of squad.


    Cabaye(29) will bring class, creativity and goals from the centre of the park that we are so badly missing and desperate for. And Cabaye(29) is also a match winner


    The likes of Adriano(27), Aubamayeng(25) , Ayew(24) and Reus(25) will bring class, creativity,mobility, pace and raw speed to attack we so desperately need so we can start playing like we did last year.


    As without Sturridge(25), Sterling(20) and Markovic(20) all in starting 11 week look pedestrian and sluggish and Balotelli(22) and Coutinho(22) struggle as they both play better when they have mobility, pace and speed ahead and around them in attack.

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  41. As we wont be in Europe for a while does it really matter?

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  42. I get you Mr Beast, but corr3ect me if I'm wrong, isn't dortmund in champ league top seed gone through top of table?


    They are a good team if that's right...


    Surely their league form will improve posssibly now they have a break from europe...


    Anyway, I'm not even one who accepts that Brendan should just be shown the door just yet - even given my deep disgust today and at the lack of being able to motivate and make the tough decisions against M U.....


    Ok I'm not too enamoured with the lack of buying a decent striker and/or defensive mid......


    Or the formations......


    Okay maybe I'm not so sure about Brendan after today...


    But who is going to make things better, surely fsg not gonna go for an 'oldie but goldie' they really only ones who got the experience to steady ship quick.....but is that what we want?


    Klopp is good, he's won shed-loads and got close in europe while doing it....one doesn't lose that over a summer.......


    Very confused right now........

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  43. We might win the Uefa cup and get that extra champs league spot....


    Maybe we could kidnap Suarez, there's enough of us here..... the expendibles did it with six....

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  44. what about gerrard..i think he is playing after a long time then

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  45. Suso(20) should be sold with buy back clause because at the moment there are three players in side who can play his position better than him in first team: Coutinho(22). Lallana(26) and Sterling(20).


    So he is basically dead wood just sitting on bench as he ain't being used and is not going to be used ahead of those three players in the AM role in side.

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