Why Mario Balotelli's Return to Serie A Would Be Bad for Inter and Liverpool

Signing Mario Balotelli will always be a gamble. The precociously talented—and frustratingly erratic—striker was a roll of the dice for Manchester City, a speculative wager for AC Milan and a risky punt for Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool.

And now, at least according to the Italian papers, his old club Inter are willing to take a chance on not-so-Super Mario. 

Not unlike his one-time Italy strike partner Antonio Cassano, the reason why clubs continue to chance their luck on Balo is because, in spite of the huge odds stacked against his being a long-term success, if they get lucky, the payoff will be huge. 

Balotelli hasn't performed at Anfield, and with the pressure building, it's only natural the rumour mill is linking him with a move away. But it's far too soon to judge how successful his signing has been because, despite what some people insist on peddling, the 24-year-old isn't the root of the Reds' problems.

He isn't scoring and looks uncomfortable pressing or contributing the kind of work rate Rodgers expects, but at the moment, it's easy to find something to criticise about almost the entire Liverpool squad.  

He's seen just 730 minutes of action in the Premier League so far, which is nowhere near enough time to properly evaluate a £16 million investment. Given Adam Lallana's recent improvement, it should be obvious to all involved that sometimes players just need time to adapt. 

Whoever made the decision to sign Balotelli also presumably wanted to see how he worked with Daniel Sturridge. Until the Englishman returns to action, it seems foolish to judge a player who could sorely use the 25-year-old as a partner. 

Balotelli might not have been the right signing in the summer, but having brought him back to England, the club should now work hard to make the best of the situation because, in the short term at least, there aren't many obvious solutions on the market.

If patience is needed at Anfield, however, it's not something that anyone at Inter can afford to offer the striker, who made his debut at the San Siro at the tender age of 17. 

With half the season played in Italy, Roberto Mancini's Nerazzurri are wallowing in 11th, a shocking 18 points off top place. 

Mauro Icardi is the side's main individual attacking threat so far, but with 25 goals in total across the squad, they're not a million miles from the league's top sides in terms of proficiency in front of goal.

The problems for Inter have been at the other end, where they've conceded 23—similar to the clubs currently scrapping it out in the relegation zone. 

Mancini needs to bring balance back to Inter after Walter Mazzarri's unsuccessful tenure—and though Balo might offer many things, harmony isn't one of them.

There's already one temperamental striker on the books at the San Siro anyway, and it'd be a very brave manager who'd bet his future on Balotelli and Dani Osvaldo staying in form and out of trouble.

Few know Mario's potential—and his propensity to cause problems—better than Mancini, who gave him his debut and brought him to Manchester City in 2010. Given how their last spell together ended, it seems unlikely that the 50-year-old would be willing to reunite with his one-time protege so early in his second term at Inter. 

Balotelli needs time to settle, Liverpool need a world-class striker—he might yet turn out to be one—and Inter need a calming influence. Rumours about the forward's future might make for good headlines, but on paper at least, leaving Merseyside for Milan at this juncture looks like a move that would only cause problems for everyone involved.

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