5 Liverpool rejects who are on fire this season
When you think of the Premier League club with the best scouting department, many often think of some of the brilliant players Manchester United scouted and signed under Sir Alex Ferguson and his crown jewel is without a hint of doubt Cristiano Ronaldo. Others may point out to the top quality youngsters Arsene Wenger groomed. Wenger has a big list with the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Kolo Toure and Robin Van Persie, but on the top of the list is Thierry Henry!
Arguments can be made for the case of Southampton who have managed to replace their outgoing stars year in year out. While Chelsea have dozens of promising youngsters out on loan every season.
Also read: 7 Liverpool youngsters who have a bright future under Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool also have a case to present. Xabi Alonso, Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres and Philippe Coutinho are recent examples of their eye for talent. Under the ownership of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool have emphasised on signing talented players for a bargain price with the focus mainly on young players.
Many of the current Liverpool stars are examples of such successful signings. However, despite Liverpool's recent success in scouting, some players failed to click and were ultimately sold. Five such players sold by Liverpool are currently in the form of their lives!
#1 Mario Balotelli
When Luis Suarez left for Barcelona in 2014, the Reds needed a top striker to replace their talisman. They ended up signing Mario Balotelli towards the end of the transfer window and recently, Brendan Rodgers revealed that he took a big gamble in signing the player.
Balotelli had a history of poor conduct on and off the field at all his previous clubs despite scoring a lot of goals but he arrived at Anfield after scoring 30 goals in 54 games with his previous club AC Milan. The Italian managed to stay away from controversies during his time at Liverpool but struggled in front of goal. He played only 28 games for the club and scored just 4 goals overall. In fact, the former Manchester City star could only muster 1 goal in 16 Premier League games.
A disastrous loan move to AC Milan followed and he came back to Anfield with just 3 goals in 23 games. When Mario returned, the man at the helm had changed and it was clear as daylight that the player did not stand a chance under the new gaffer.
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Liverpool were open to selling Balotelli to any suitors last summer, but no club was willing to take the gamble of paying a transfer fee for him and also his wages. On transfer deadline day, the Reds decided to cut their losses and sold him for free to Nice in Ligue 1. However, the Reds are entitled to 30% of his next transfer fee thanks to a sell-on clause.
Balotelli has found a new home in France where he is adored. He has scored 17 goals in just 28 games for the club with 15 goals in 23 games in the league. If he keeps up his current form then a recall to the Italian national team is not too far away or he may get that rumoured move to China which could help Liverpool recoup a lot of money they invested on him.