According to the latest reports from the Daily Mail, Newcastle United are sensationally being linked with a move for Italian striker Mario Balotelli. The former Premier League and Champions League winner is notoriously known for his antics on and off the pitch, and it is believed that Ligue 1 outfit Nice haven’t managed to secure a new deal as he has entered in the final year of his contract.
Nice manager Patrick Vieira has reportedly banished him from the training grounds so that the striker can decide about his future. The former Arsenal captain went on to slam Balotelli and was quoted as saying, ”I have given Mario a few extra days off to think about his future and what he wants to do.
”He’s under contract here and everything is possible if we can come to a common agreement who knows. When it comes to Mario, I want to answer back, or just slam him up against the wall or leave him hanging by his collar on the coat rack, but I can’t, as I’m no longer a player. I don’t want to say something I’ll regret.”
It’s clear that Vieira isn’t a too big fan of him and the forward hasn’t managed a single goal in 10 appearances this season. We think Newcastle United should stay away from this move as Balotelli has squandered enough chances in his career even though he had been considered as a huge talent 6-7 years back. His stint in the Premier League with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool has been mixed and the fact that he isn’t able to hold a place at Nice suggests that the forward might have a hard time finding success in the English top flight.
To go with all that, the Magpies play most of their game without the ball and Rafael Benitez often wants his striker to be hardworking and perseverant. The Italian forward is opposite of that and when things don’t go his way, he often cuts a frustrating figure on the pitch.
The Toon have Salomon Rondon, Joselu and Yoshinori Muto as their strike options and all three can do a much better job at the moment. Balotelli might have more technical abilities than them but if not mixed with the right attitude and work ethic, then those abilities are of no use.
The fact that Vieira comes up openly and claims that he wants to ‘slam him on the wall’ indicates how tough it is for him to manage the striker. The 28-year-old might be an exciting name and has that moment of genius in him here and there but he is often self-destructible and United would be better off avoiding him in the transfer market.
