Mario Balotelli has sealed his move to Anfield. Liverpool confirmed the deal, and saying that he will wear #45. Is Liverpool FC brining in one bad boy, right after they just sold another problem child?
Not quite.
Luis Suarez, for all of his faults off the pitch, and he has many, was a hard worker on the field, and he produced. He was arguably the best player in the Premier League last season. Mario Balotelli, likewise comes with a lot of baggage, and he might arguably be more maladjusted, and have more “character issues” than Suarez. However, he’s a much worse teammate.
Like Suarez, Balotelli is a very talented striker. But he doesn’t produce. Liverpool didn’t pay much for him, well below market price, and this is an investment with lower risk. And like Chewy Luis had a behavior clause at Barca in order to complete the signing. Anfield was rumored to have similar terms with Balotelli, to complete the deal. Here’s what thew tabloids were saying.
-Says the Daily Express:
Liverpool will insist upon contractual guarantees from Mario Balotelli relating to his behavior before agreeing to press ahead with the massive gamble of his £16million move from AC Milan.
-Says The Sun:
Liverpool have told Mario Balotelli: You must promise to behave or we will not sign you.
-Says the Daily Mirror:
Liverpool want Mario Balotelli to sign a good-conduct clause to seal his £16 million Anfield move.
Paul M. Banks owns and operates The Sports Bank.net, which is partners with Fox Sports, Yahoo! and the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He’s been a guest on news talk shows all across the world and been featured in hundreds on media outlets including NFL Network, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN2. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)


