Liverpool Transfers: Why Craig Bellamy Can Fire Reds into the Champions League

Craig Bellamy's career has been one punctuated by controversy and stunted by injury. But if his mooted move from Manchester City to Liverpool goes ahead, there's still reason to believe the fiery Welshman can be a key player in Kenny Dalglish's quest for Champions League football next season.

The 32-year-old Bellamy started out as a prolific goalscorer in Norwich City's youth team before elevating to the first team aged just 16 in the 1997-98 season. He was a prodigy marked for very big things indeed.

From there, he went to Coventry then Newcastle, where he spent four years before a bitter dispute with Graeme Souness saw him sent out on loan to Celtic.

A few good months north of the border were enough to secure a deal at Blackburn, where he enjoyed arguably the best season of his career. In the 2005-06 campaign, he stayed fit and scored 17 times in 32 appearances.

It was the big time next for Bellamy and a move to Liverpool. But his time at Anfield was soured by the infamous allegations that he attacked John Arne Riise with a golf club during a training trip to Portugal. Liverpool reached the Champions League final, but Benitez left Bellamy on the bench as they lost to AC Milan.

West Ham came next before a £7.5 million move to the newly flush Manchester City in 2009. City were under Mark Hughes at the time, the same manager Bellamy had worked with at Blackburn and a former teammate from the Welsh international scene.

Things were fine at City until Hughes was sacked. Bellamy resented the appointed of Roberto Mancini, and the pair have had a difficult relationship from the moment Mancini walked through the door.

Bellamy was sent out on loan to Cardiff last season and has returned to Manchester desperate to secure a permanent move away from the Etihad Stadium. The problem has been his wages, with Bellamy apparently reluctant to take a pay cut.

But according to the Daily Mirror, there could be a resolution in sight. City are putting together a package that would make it financially viable for Bellamy to walk away and return to Liverpool.

If the deal happens, there will doubtless be fans questioning whether Kenny Dalglish really needs such a hothead around his squad. Bellamy can be a confrontational character, and his career has been littered with flash points.

But the difference between now and then is Dalglish. The veteran manager is a man Bellamy clearly respects, and if his career tells us anything, it's that the striker can be a match winner if he's given the trust of those around them.

If Liverpool make the deal happen, they'll be getting one of the most dynamic forwards on the market. Bellamy has pace to burn, two great feet and a smart footballing brain.

He's also got a serious point to prove and a much wiser head on his shoulders than he did on his last stop at Anfield.

If they get him, I think Bellamy could make the difference between Europa League and Champions League qualification this season. Either operating out wide or in the middle, he'll give Liverpool an extra thrust and a good number of goals too.

He'd be a great signing, and Liverpool fans would be wise to be excited about the possibility.