Suffice it to say, anything involving Mario Balotelli tends to make headlines, whether the player wants it or not. Ever since making a return to the Premier League this summer, the 24-year-old's move to Liverpool has been full of controversy.
As recently as late last month, despite just arriving, some reports already had the Italian heading for an early exit from Anfield after failing to hit the ground running since his August arrival. Of course, coach Brendan Rodgers was quick to douse water on any speculation but interestingly, did not make any assurances that his place was cemented, either:
"At this moment in time, I’ll be working with the players that we have and he is one of them. Not just improving him, but improving all the players. And we will see come January what the team needs," he recently stated following the whole shirt-swap controversy.
Given his propensity to find himself in trouble at each club he has played for, Balotelli's arrival at Liverpool did raise quite a few eyebrows, despite Rodgers apparently being full of praise for him this past August. No stranger to managing tricky characters--just look at Luis Suarez--the Reds coach, according to reports, was still wary about bringing him in on a long-term basis.
Frustrating: Balotelli has cut a disappointed figure in his second spell in the Premier League
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So, what changed for Liverpool to decide to spend £16 million on the man Rodgers recently described as:
"...a calculated gamble that we had to try and work with...[because] Mario was the one right at the very end who was available [for our needs for a striker]"?
As per the same report, the issue revolves around Balotelli's advisor, Mino Raiola and the thorny issue of third-party ownership. With Milan desperate to get him off their books, the player seeking a club that could provide Champions League football, and Liverpool in the hunt for a new striker but were wary to invest too much on him, a deal was then struck that would benefit most parties involved.
Basically, the fascinating report via Bleacher Report claims that despite Liverpool claiming to have "signed" Balotelli, the actual arrangement is a "try-and-then-buy" scheme that will allow them to see how he fares, and then decide whether to keep him. In essence, then, a loan without actually stating that it's a loan per se.
Consequently, should it not work out for Super Mario, then Raiola, who purchased his contract from Milan, could then move him on elsewhere at little risk to the Reds all while still making money off his client.
