West Ham are reportedly prepared to lodge a ten million pound bid for Mario Balotelli
West Ham have a unique opportunity to finish in the top four this season, but they need to add real quality in January to make those dreams come true. Specifically, they need to add big-time talent up top and Mario Balotelli could be the perfect solution.
Everyone in the Premier League knows the pluses and minuses of having Balotelli. When he’s happy and playing well, he can be an absolute nightmare for opposing defenders. When he’s at his worst, his actions mirror that of a petulant child. There’s very little in between for the Italian striker.
Still, I applaud West Ham for preparing a ten million pound bid to pry him away from Liverpool. He’s exactly the type of game-changing talent that could make this season special for the Hammers.
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Slaven Bilic’s club has been hit with more key injuries than any other Premier League side this season. Their two best attacking talents, Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini, have both missed significant time due to injury. Now, their attack has been further compromised by an injury to striker Andy Carroll.
Even despite these devastating injuries, West Ham is still squarely in the race for a top four position. They’re just four points behind Tottenham for the all-important fourth spot in the Premier League. They’ve got a gritty side that’s managed to grind out results even without its stars.
They are close enough to Champions League qualification that they should risk almost anything to achieve it. Compared to what they could gain by finishing in the top-four spending ten million pounds on Mario Balotelli is a comparatively minor risk.
They wouldn’t be purchasing Balotelli as some sort of long-term solution to their striking problem. Purchasing the enigmatic front man would be a short-term gamble to try to break into the top four.
Bilic and the club would just be hoping to get a good half season out of the temperamental Italian. If he comes into the club and hits a streak of form he could be the difference maker in quite a few matches. If he doesn’t find his way at the club, they can be rid of him in the summer.
The only real risk is that Balotelli wouldn’t mix well with Payet who’s also known to be a bit a diva at times. Bilic’s biggest challenge might be keeping those two combustible personalities at peace. Still, it’s a move West Ham should pursue with zeal.
A club of their size doesn’t have the chance to sign a talent of Balotelli’s level every transfer window. Nor do they have a chance to quality for Champions League every season. The convergence of these two opportunities at the same time means that West Ham should absolutely gamble on the purchase of Mario Balotelli.