Jurgen Klopp was always likely to oversee a mass clearout during his first summer in charge of Liverpool, with no fewer than thirteen players walking out through the exit door at Anfield through loan or permanent deals as the charismatic German looks to stamp his own authority at the club. Mario Balotelli certainly stands out as the biggest casualty, case with the Italian maverick clearly not featuring in Klopp’s plans after AC Milan decided not to turn his loan move in a permanent one following an inconsistent season at the San Siro. It has certainly been a fall from grace for the 26-year-old who only managed sixteen Premier League appearances in Liverpool colours since arriving in a £16 million deal in 2014, capsule with a return of just one goal proving that Brendan Rodgers’ decision to bring Balotelli in as a replacement for Luis Suarez completely backfired. Scoring a late winner against Tottenham was the sum total of Balotelli’s contribution to the Liverpool cause, with the striker costing a hefty £1 million for every appearance made. His inevitable departure has, perhaps unsurprisingly, not altered Betway’s stance on Liverpool’s top four chances, but Balotelli’s move to Nice on a free transfer is undoubtedly the best for both parties.
Balotelli was once rated as one of the most talented players in world football when his potential became instantly apparent under Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, but his skills and natural ability were overshadowed by a poor attitude and self-centred ego that has ruined what could have been a wonderful career. Mourinho is just one of many managers who have given up on Balotelli, with Roberto Mancini famously subbing Balotelli off after half an hour during a friendly against LA Galaxy after a piece of unnecessary showboating while they were together at Manchester City. His history of ill-discipline made it all the more surprising when Rodgers turned to Balotelli as a straight replacement for Luis Suarez who almost fired Liverpool towards the Premier League title in 2014 after hitting 31 goals; it was seen by many as a big gamble, and it ultimately failed. Rodgers became fed up with Balotelli’s attitude early doors as Liverpool struggled to repeat the same feats, with the 6-1 humbling at Stoke bringing the curtain down on what was a season to forget. The striker was already out on loan at AC Milan when Klopp replaced Rodgers in the hotseat, but it felt inevitable that Balotelli’s days at Liverpool were numbered.
Being linked with moves to Sion, Palermo and Chievo may illustrate just how far Balotelli’s profile has fallen, and although Liverpool fans will be delighted to see the back of the striker (particularly Jamie Carragher who has become embroiled in a Twitter row with Balotelli), his move to Nice may be the move that resurrects his faltering career. It will still require the right level of application and effort from the player himself, but Hatem Ben Arfa’s return to prominence following a wonderful season at the Allianz Riviera is proof that Nice could be the right club for Balotelli. Fans may be interested to keep tabs on Balotelli’s progress as Betway’s football season is underway, but Nice’s potential gain will not be valued as Liverpool’s loss; letting Balotelli leave for free is the best possible outcome for Klopp and the board who feared that they would have to pay out the remaining year of the striker’s contract to get him off the books once and for all. Klopp has already shrugged off parting shots made by Balotelli’s agent, Mino Raiola, who is unhappy at how his player was managed, despite failing to make any sort of impact at Liverpool and becoming more of a hindrance than a valuable part of the squad moving forward.
Putting an end to the Balotelli nightmare may have come at the right time for Liverpool who return to Premier League action after the international break with a tough home fixture against defending champions Leicester. Picking up four points from the opening three games should be seen as a good return given the excellent 4-3 victory at Arsenal and 1-1 draw at Tottenham in a game where Liverpool deserved much more for their efforts, but the 2-0 defeat at Burnley will still wrangle with some fans who feel the team were complacent and took the newly-promoted side for granted. Aside from the first-half performance at Turf Moor, Liverpool have certainly shown signs of significant improvement under Klopp, with the team looking much more dangerous going forward through Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane who have already made a big impact. The time spent on the training ground over the summer certainly appears to have paid off, and with the new signings bedding in nicely, there is enough confidence and quality to suggest that Liverpool could break into the top four this season.