It has been two full seasons since the departure of Robin Van Persie. His first choice replacement, Olivier Giroud, has been a decent signing thus far. His record for Arsenal is currently 39 goals in 70 appearances. Unfortunately he is not the striker who can carry Arsenal towards the Premier League title. Though he has had a great goal scoring and assists return in the 2013/14 season, it is what the statistics don’t show which serves to be the problem. Time after the time in the past two seasons Giroud has failed to deliver in the big games and has missed many crucial chances which have cost the team points. In the most recent season he did not score one goal against the top 5. What’s more frustrating is that he has been given clear opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net but has failed countless times. Chances which players like Mario Balotelli would have buried.
Mario Balotelli is infamous for being a bad boy with an attitude problem. World class managers including Jose Mourinho and Roberto Mancini have not been able to tame one of the world’s most promising talents. It seems every time he has been transferred it has been due to the club being unable to handle his antics on and off the field. Balotelli has been on the end of a number of red cards as a result of rash challenges and in the newspapers on numerous occasions when he’s acted poorly in public. Why should Arsene Wenger sign a player who has caused clubs to cry out “Good Riddance” every time he’s been forced out? For one, Arsene is renowned for taming players with disciplinary issues. The most well known case was with former striker Robin Van Persie. Feyenoord were happy to offload a young cocky player. Even after his rape charges Arsene Wenger turned him into one of the world’s greatest strikers. Sure Balotelli seems to be a much more severe case but every player respects Wenger. No ex Arsenal player has ever criticised the character of Arsene and with Balotelli maturing, he can only get better.
AC Milan have also fallen victim to the mystery that is Mario Balotelli. It has been reported that they would accept a bid of £20 million. In the current market that is an absolute steal. If he didn’t have such an immature tag to his name he would be worth at least £40 million. Let’s be honest, who else could Arsenal possibly target who would launch them to the Premier League title. Benzema, Cavani and Mandzukic would all cost more and quite frankly only Cavani is a better player than Balotelli. It seems obvious most of this article has been about the side effects of signing such a controversial player, but that’s only because it is main reason Arsene Wenger would be hesitant to sign him. Forget all his mishaps, outbursts and immaturity and what does that leave us with, an exceptional force to be reckoned with.
Mario Balotelli scored 18 goals in 41 appearances this season for AC Milan. It is the first time he has played 30 games in any league meaning that there is still much more he can offer. He is a great dribbler, has a dangerous long shot and most importantly he is an excellent finisher. With players like Özil, Ramsey and Cazorla around him, he is bound to be a contender for the golden boot. Balotelli is always on the move and makes intelligent runs. His strength and pace could out manoeuvre any defender in the league. This is exactly the type of player Arsenal have been missing. Arsene Wenger knows how to get the best out of every talented youngster and rarely any star he creates that leave the club have been able to replicate the form they were in whilst at Arsenal. Wenger has been a fan of Balotelli since his days at Inter Milan, and if £20 million could give him the opportunity to sign potentially one of the greatest strikers in the world then hopefully he goes through with it. Balotelli is a risk much like the Emirates Stadium, at first it could seem like Arsenal are in deep trouble, but then turn out to be the reason Arsenal become a global superpower. Launching the club towards not only a Premier league title but major contenders for the UEFA Champions League.