5 Strikers Liverpool Should Have Signed Instead of Mario Balotelli
With Mario Balotelli continuing to make headlines and failing to find the back of the net for Liverpool, questions are consistently raised over the long-term future of the striker on Merseyside.
While it is unfair to judge the Italian on his performances so far, with his particular playing style jarring hugely with the role he is being asked to play as the lone striker, it can be argued that signing Balotelli was an ill-judged move from the start for manager Brendan Rodgers.
Writing in his column for The Independent, former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood outlined how players available for transfer must still fit the club’s profile: "If you are after a quick, dynamic striker, there is no point being offered a big, slow target man simply because he happens to be available.”
This is particularly pertinent given Balotelli’s struggles at Liverpool.
Following the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona in the summer, the Reds should have targeted a striker of similar dynamism and versatility.
Rodgers himself labelled the signing of Balotelli a “calculated risk,” per Tim Rich of The Independent, and the manager’s attempt at adapting the striker’s style of play is failing so far.
All is not lost, and Balotelli’s partnership with Daniel Sturridge in their only game together so far—the 3-0 away thrashing of Spurs—shows that the former Milan man can still be a success at Anfield.
However, with Sturridge claiming his injury problems could be “hereditary” recently, according to talkSPORT's Drivetime (via The Guardian), Liverpool will likely have to accommodate for similar lay-offs in the future, and a striker of the requisite dynamism and goalscoring prowess may have been more suitable.
Here are five strikers Liverpool should have signed instead of Balotelli, ranked in no particular order.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com.
Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion)
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Making the headlines at West Bromwich Albion this season, English striker Saido Berahino is increasing his value by the game. However, the 21-year-old Burundi native was showing real signs of his talents already in 2013/14.
Berahino hit five goals in 32 appearances last season, and he has already bested this with a tally of seven in 10 Premier League games in 2014/15.
According to Joe Short of the Daily Express, West Brom boss Alan Irvine believes Berahino’s talents are worthy of over £15 million: "£15m doesn't sound like a lot of money for a talented, young, English player with great potential who is playing really, really well in the Premier League at the moment and who is scoring goals. It would have to be higher than that.”
Berahino’s game is based on speed and skill, with a surprising knack at holding the ball up and bringing other players into the game.
He's a perfect stand-in for the regularly injured Sturridge, a role Balotelli is struggling with.
Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon)
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Versatile French forward Alexandre Lacazette was linked with a move to Anfield throughout the summer, but according to David Wright of the Daily Express, he turned down a move away from Lyon due to a “responsibility” at the club.
That responsibility has become even more apparent this season, as Lacazette has become one of the Ligue 1 side’s most important players.
The 23-year-old, who can play all across the attacking line, has so far scored 10 goals and made four assists in 12 league games—a rate of Suarez proportion.
A tenacious dribbler with great hold-up play, Lacazette would suit Liverpool’s fluid style perfectly.
The interest was reportedly there, and perhaps Lacazette’s would have taken a turn had Lyon accepted a bid from Liverpool over the summer.
The Frenchman is proving to be a fine dynamic forward option.
Javier Hernandez (Manchester United, on Loan at Real Madrid)
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This one may be in the realms of fantasy, but signing Manchester United poacher Javier Hernandez this summer would have provided Liverpool with the requisite dynamism and solved problems on both ends.
The Mexican was clearly unhappy with the amount of game time afforded to him at Old Trafford, and despite the availability of Danny Welbeck, he was subsequently loaned to Real Madrid.
Effectively replacing the long-term injury of Jese Rodriguez, Madrid’s acquisition of Hernandez accommodated for the loss of a promising, young pacey forward with another player with similar qualities.
This is the blueprint the Reds should have employed.
Playing a regular bit-part role at United, Hernandez scored 44 goals in 126 games, and so far at Madrid, the striker has managed three in six.
A rare player with an innate eye for goal, Hernandez would have suited Liverpool’s style of play adroitly.
Samuel Eto’o (Everton)
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Liverpool were all set to finalise the free transfer of legendary Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o this summer, but they pulled the plug in favour of a move for Balotelli, per James Dickenson of the Daily Express.
At the time, this seemed like a sensible move by Rodgers, with Eto’o at 33 years old and arguably unable to perform amid a congested Liverpool fixture list.
However, with Roberto Martinez claiming Eto’o “a gift from the footballing gods,” the striker has hit top form across Stanley Park at Everton.
The Toffees' No. 5 has scored three goals in six appearances so far in the Premier League, and he is serving as the perfect creative foil for Romelu Lukaku.
He is still able to perform consistently in a variety of positions, with an outstanding two-goal turn in the No. 10 role against Burnley recently displaying this vitality.
Perhaps Eto’o would have provided Rodgers with a more suitable forward option this season.
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
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During Suarez’s protracted transfer saga during the summer, Liverpool were linked persistently with Barcelona forward man Alexis Sanchez.
However, the Chilean turned down a move to Merseyside due to his wife’s interest in living in London, according to the London Evening Standard—hence, Sanchez now plies his trade at Arsenal.
The 25-year-old has been likened to Suarez lately, with manager Arsene Wenger praising his “natural level of energy,” per Tom Peck of The Independent, and Sanchez would surely have been the ideal replacement for the Uruguayan.
Balotelli is struggling to reproduce this natural energy—and it is unfair to expect that of the Italian—however it is clear Sanchez is a better fit at Anfield.
With seven goals and two assists so far in nine Premier League games, Sanchez has hit the ground running, and he is proving why Liverpool should have moved heaven and earth to guarantee his services this summer.
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