Christian Benteke – Mario Balotelli
What more can we say about Mario Balotelli. We know that the ability is in there somewhere, waiting to be unlocked, but like Lambert he’s struggled with being isolated at the top of the Liverpool attack. We all know that signing the Italian was a gamble, something hastily done to try and fill the void left by Luis Suarez’s departure, but few could have envisaged it going so badly. Balotelli’s constant look of lethargy is enough to fill most fans with an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and that was something which had to change.
Benteke will have a lot of work to do if he’s to prove value for money. He’s definitely more than the target man-type player that a lot of Liverpool fans are fearing he’ll prove to be, although his aerial dominance should still remain a key feature of his game. He has an excellent chance conversion rate – only four players in Europe were better off during the second-half of last season (via ESPN) – and his ability to lead the line, both on his own and alongside a partner, is something we’ve been crying out for.
He can’t do any worse than what’s come before, can he? The price tag is going to hang over him, almost regardless of how many goals he scores next season, so let’s hope that he can start firing as soon as possible.
Transfer Approval Rating – 6/10
