The push to break free from the relegation zone continues for Newcastle United as they have completed their fourth key signing this January transfer window.

After signing Jonjo Shelvy, Andros Townsend and Henri Saivet, Newcastle have added a goal scorer to help the new faces on their offense. Roma forward Seydou Doumbia has arrived at St. James’ Park on loan for the remainder of the season.

Who Is Seydou Doumbia?

The Ivorian international first made a splash in European football with Swiss Super League side BSC Young Boys where he scored 20 goals in the 2008-2009 season and 30 the following year, claiming the title the league’s top goal scorer both years.

Doumbia experienced another run of success with Russian side CSKA Moscow where he found the back of the net 66 times in 108 appearances over five season in the Russian Premier League.

In 2014, he made the move to Roma where he was only able to score twice in 13 fixtures with the club. Roma loaned him back to CSKA Moscow this fall and will now make the move to St. James Park.

What’s He Like?

Seydou Doumbia is a goal scorer and a quick counter attacking threat. He scores many goals from inside the box can also provide key passes in the attack end.

The Ivorian has great ball handling skills and is not short on confidence as he’s not afraid to go at defenders when he has the ball. If he can find a form similar to what he had a few years back in the 2013-2014 season, when he scored 20 in 24, he could be a dominant force in the Premier league from here on out.

Would He Fit at Newcastle?

Newcastle have undergone an overhaul of new offensive players this transfer window in an effort to get out of the bottom three. The new midfielders acquired this transfer window needed a goal scorer to top off a successful January for Newcastle. Only time will tell if the recent January signings will pay off for the club, but at the moment, the addition of a striker puts them in a good position to successfully stay in the Premier League.

Worth A Punt?

While the striker is 28-years-old he is not too much of a risk for Newcastle. If he is unsuccessful throughout the rest of this season, they can easily cut ties with Doumbia in the summer.

If the Ivorian proves to play a vital role in the push to stay in the Premier League, Newcastle could easily buy him, as Roma are clearly not satisfied with the forward.

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Aaaaaand breathe. What a game that was. North London derbies are often worth watching, but today’s effort was really special.

Initially it bubbled slowly towards and Aaron Ramsey opener, but as the second half got going the afternoon ignited with a Francis Coquelin red card. The Frenchman’s brainless-ness looked to have been punished ruthlessly as Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane made it 2-1 within seven minutes, but Alexis Sanchez then popped up with the equaliser.

Unfortunately for both sides the winning goal never came, and BT Sport even added to the drama as a power outage left fans watching at home with a blank screen for a few viral minutes. Luckily nothing key was missed.

But, what did we learn? Well here are FIVE ‘lessons’ from White Hart Lane…

Neither side will be happy

The only side with a big smile on their face as Michael Oliver’s whistle rang around White Hart Lane was Leicester. In truth, a draw has done neither Spurs nor Arsenal any favours, with the Foxes now two points clear of the Lilywhites with a game in hand and the Gunners three points further behind their local rivals in third.

The game may have been a pulsating, enthralling and dramatic affair, yet both managers, and their players, will look at it as an opportunity missed.

Francis Coquelin is not the answer

For as long as anyone that regularly watches football cares to remember, defensive midfield has been a problem for Arsenal. Since the days of Patrick Vieira the Gunners have been short of a disciplined leader in the centre of the pitch, which is perhaps why it’s been 12 years since the last time the Premier League trophy was carried back to north London.

Coquelin looked to be the man to fill the long vacated void upon his ‘arrival’ last winter – he was re-called from a loan spell at Charlton – with his hard-working nature a breath of fresh air. However, today he showed the biggest flaw in his game: a lack of intelligence. Having already been booked the Frenchman threw himself at Harry Kane, receiving a red card for his trouble.

The game swung in the space of seven minutes at Spurs went from 1-0 down to 2-1 up, and if it weren’t for Alexis Sanchez’s unlikely equaliser, Coquelin would not be able to show his face at the Emirates for quite some time!

Hugo Lloris is overrated

Lloris is often talked about as one of the best goalies in the Premier League. But, is he really worthy of that mantle? Erm… perhaps not. Granted, the Frenchman is a good shot-stopper and uses his pace and reading of the game to perform a ‘sweeper keeper’ role well, but he often gets beaten by efforts he should really save, and Sanchez’s equaliser was one of them.

Okay, the Chilean hit it well, but Lloris got a hand to the ball and must be disappointed to have seen it squirm past. Could that prove to be a vital moment in Spurs’ season and the title race?

Arsenal do have some bottle

With two losses on the spin heading into the North London Derby, many were questioning Arsenal’s ‘bottle’. After all, they were title favourites for a little while. However, a team without heart and spirit would have buckled after falling behind with 10-men, but Sanchez’s stunning equaliser was not the action of a team without character.

Harry Kane is actually world class

That finish. Wow. Kane’s rise has long felt like a joke that’s got out of hand, but, if it wasn’t before, it’s time to admit that he’s a world class talent. Even though he has no real standout characteristic such as pace or touch, the whole package he brings makes him a formidable forward, and he showed today what he’s capable of.

Aside from the brilliant goal he curled past David Ospina, Kane ran the Gunners’ defence ragged for 90 minutes, with his movement and tenacity all on who, while his link-up play wasn’t bad either.

Jose Mourinho has been linked with the Manchester United job, had you heard?!

After leading Chelsea to their worst start to the top flight season in longer than most of their fans have been alive, the Portuguese boss has managed to retain his reputation and is one of the most talked about names in football.

A man with an ego the size of a small city tends to be in the limelight and, as much he loves it himself, Louis van Gaal is rather irked by his former protege being linked with his job at one of Europe’s biggest clubs. The two of them have become embroiled in some sort of big brother-little brother rivalry and it looks as though the next twist will be the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ nicking his complacent older brother’s job from under his nose.

Mourinho’s Chelsea finished 17 points clear of Van Gaal’s Manchester United last season, as the Blues won the title at a canter and only registered three defeats. However, when Mourinho was sacked on December 17th, the Blues boss has driven his side down to 16th in the Premier League table and only won four of their 16 league games – leaving them 14 points behind Van Gaal’s Manchester United.

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Obviously you must look further back than just this season, but you can see why Van Gaal would be annoyed with a manager who had failed so dramatically being linked with his job. Mourinho is one of the best in the business, he is a brutal man manager and a tactician who makes his moves before the other manager has even had time to tell his substitutes to warm up.

Look at the impact Mourinho had at Chelsea when he arrived in 2013/14. Rafa Benitez had done well to guide Chelsea to third in 2012/13, but the fell 14 points short of the title and only just squeaked into the top four. The next season, with minimal tweaks to the squad, Mourinho should have really won the league. The Blues had been favourites for the title until they choked at home to Sunderland and dropped points that left the door open for Liverpool and Manchester City.

Chelsea, with Torres and Ba leading the line, finished four points off the Premier League summit and Mourinho was ready to seize control in the next campaign. Manchester United’s squad is not poor, it has weaknesses, yes, but it is not too weak to be in the top four. Mourinho would immediately tighten up the side and play to the strengths of the squad, rather than an out-dated philosophy Van Gaal obsesses over.

It would take sizeable investment – as that is the price you pay with Mourinho – but he would immediately instil a winning mentality, a granite-hard core through the side and a never-say-die attitude that isn’t usually found outside of Tony Pulis’ hard-nosed half-time team talks.

Look at Memphis Depay. Last season the Dutchman was one of the hottest properties in Europe and was firing shots from all angles into the top corner of the net, but his attitude is now being questioned. Mourinho, in his own harsh manner, would either discard him or chisel him into a Ronaldo lookalike goal scoring athlete. The Special One performed a similar trick on Joe Cole over a decade ago and Depay has all the ability to make him into one of Europe’s best and Mourinho would single him out as one of the stars of the new Manchester United.

Defensively, Mourinho would sure things up with placing faith in Morgan Schneiderlin. Where Van Gaal has rotated his midfield with odd regularity, Mourinho would find his ideal pairing and stick with it. Schneiderlin is the sort of physical unit that Mourinho adores, a brick wall in front of his two centre-halves and he would form the basis to allow Martial, Rooney and Memphis to wreak havoc in the final third.

Naturally, Mourinho would change a lot at Old Trafford. Younger players wouldn’t stand much of a chance of developing, Carrick would likely be moved on and the club would risk the regular media assault that comes with Mourinho. Underlying this all, Mourinho, until this season particularly, can make his players push themselves the extra yard. If they believe in him, he will make them winners and, although it is just a short-term fix, it will give the United fans something to believe they have a club that can compete at the top once more.

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It seems that securing Champions League football year-after-year just won’t cut it with Arsenal fans anymore.

Since that ‘invincibles’ season over a decade ago, Arsene Wenger has failed to bring home another Premier League crown, and it is clear to see that it is frustrating the Arsenal faithful no end.

The Gunners saw off West Bromwich Albion to go third in the table on Thursday, but it was clear to see from the TV cameras that empty seats flanked the pitch.

The normal influx of people before the game begun didn’t happen, and the stadium felt subdued – like an atmosphere-less cauldron of disappointment and apathy. Thankfully, an Alexis Sanchez brace saw Arsenal move above Manchester City to go third to somewhat raise spirits, but why did so many supporters stay away?

To be honest, it seems as simple as that the fans are just a little bored. They’re not in the title race as the season comes to an end and this was the season where Arsenal could have done it.

Whilst Leicester and Tottenham Hotspur have been excellent, the Gunners had the opportunity to launch an extremely strong campaign thanks to the shortcomings of Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United. But they’ve choked on so many important occasions this year, and it seems that some supporters are just a little fed up.

Spurs have taken the bragging rights for the first time in years and we’ve seen a few ‘Wenger out’ banners in the stands numerous times. Some supporters used to mock the few that didn’t support the Arsenal stalwart, but now it seems the tide is turning and more are growing frustrated with the Frenchman.

Take the game against West Ham United. 2-0 up and seemingly strolling to victory, the Gunners let England’s sixth choice striker to score his first hat-trick in years. It’s just not acceptable for a self-proclaimed title contending side.

Whilst the club claimed 59,568 people turned up on Thursday night, it’s hard to argue that’s fact. Whilst it is impossible to know quite how many stayed away, some have mooted there were around 15,000 empty seats. The worst thing is that Arsenal were expecting a strong turn-out on the night. They didn’t take into account the amount of people actually not in attendance, rather going by the amount of season tickets that are active.

A big worry for Arsenal is that this wasn’t an official protest – it seemingly just happened. People are fed up and just stayed away, and Wenger’s response? ‘Come and support the team, you see the quality’. What defines quality though?

They’re a side full of quality players, granted, but they’re not pulling it together on the day. They’ve bottled it again and Arsenal fans have been left with another gutless, slightly lukewarm title challenge attempt.

Just how long will people put up with it?

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Much like Alex Ferguson’s last-gasp attempt for a title – signing Robin van Persie – Arsene Wenger making such an outlandish effort to nab Jamie Vardy shows that the Arsenal manager is in a state of panic about his future at the club. Where he may previously have invested shrewdly, negotiated prices sternly and worked a slow deal, Wenger is snapping at the release clause of a player that makes little sense in his set-up. In fact, it is wholeheartedly illogical as far as many would be concerned.

Panicking has never really been an emotion in the repertoire of Wenger. A calm man – with the occasional angered outburst – Wenger has always approached his transfer dealings in a similarly sensible, albeit cautious, fashion. This deal to try and sign Vardy has shattered all protocol beyond recognition and, for both parties, looks to make only a minute amount of genuine sense. Wenger, as the media will kindly remind you, needs to win another Premier League title to really justify his legacy both in the chapters of Premier League history and the pinnacle of European football. Longevity is no longer enough to make a manager an all-time great, success is a must and Wenger risks becoming a quirky anecdote, rather than a stalwart of European success.

Vardy might be the golden ticket to another Premier League trophy. Vardy’s irresistible pace and dead-eye shot fired Leicester City to league glory, but it is hard to imagine a team that would need more adapting than Arsenal to accommodate him. The Gunners’ slower build-up means they are often working against low block defences and Vardy, more than many talents we have ever seen before, thrives off of having acres of space behind the centre-backs to really torture them on the turn.

So much about this move makes no sense. Wenger is clearly getting desperate and he may be envisaging the signing of Vardy as his last hurrah, a swansong, an ageing star to launch him to a final title so he can drift off into the managerial sunset knowing that he could still win the biggest of trophies. Olivier Giroud’s flaws seem to be over-promoted by many, unfortunately, yet Vardy’s limitations cannot be being evaluated fairly by the Arsenal backroom. A player of Vardy’s distinct playing style makes sense if you wish to play transition football, but Arsenal have not shown a desire to do that since the very day that Wenger arrived at Highbury.

Leicester and Arsenal play starkly different brands of football. Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes had little interest in possession unless it was immediately going as a direct pass to Vardy, whilst Arsenal’s occasionally aesthetically-pleasing ‘tippy-tappy’ around midfield approach sees them top the possession charts in the Premier League year after year. Players – as we all thought Wenger knew – cannot just play in any old system and it is almost impossible to imagine Vardy being fine with the minute amount of space afforded to the centre forward at Arsenal. This is not to mention the fact that no Gunner is quite set up to perform the same remarkable space-creating role of Shinji Okazaki or to inject gut-busting runs from midfield like N’Golo Kante.

This move reeks of a manager desperate for one final chance at success. A dream of a heroic signing through sheer opportunism. The move makes no sense for any party, but the lure of a ‘bigger’ club for a player who should be coming towards the end of his peak may just be too hard to resist. Craving success can be a good thing, but it looks as though this panic move from Wenger cannot possibly work out how he may dream it to. It makes even less sense when you remember some of the other strikers who could’ve been available this summer.

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Several clubs were always known as selling teams, and it still applies to some today

These clubs have an innate ability to develop their own youth to the highest standards and give them the chance that they would not get, as soon, anywhere else.

They buy players on realistic fees – real bargains, actually – and develop them for a season or two and then have to watch as they are sold for bigger money, or to their league rivals.

Southampton are one such club.

It is a shame in a way to see this happen to a well run, well established club. In the last two or three seasons you could argue that they have punched above their weight, as successive qualifications to the Europa League were obtained without too much fuss.

Indeed, last season, they came so very close to a Champions League place.

Every season the club appears to have to sell some of its most talented individuals and whilst the cash in is a positive, you would think that the club would suffer, but that’s not been the case.

The recruitment of new players in is as sound as you can find and not only do they fit straight into the team, they also seem to take the club to another level on every occasion.

Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal have all plundered the shores of St Mary’s in the last two years, spending a combined total of £132.5million on Southampton players as at last summers reckoning.

This summer, Mane has gone to Liverpool, Wanyama to Tottenham and Pelle to China, and if you consider the talent that The Saints have sold and you put them together as a team, it would be quite a useful side in the Premier League. Gareth Bale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Nathaniel Clyne, Morgan Schneiderlin et al, would prove a tasty adversary to many teams.

Not only has Southampton been stripped by Premier League rivals for their players, but for their talented managers as well. After Pochettino left for Tottenham, Saints fans have had to watch Ronald Koeman decide that the blue half of Merseyside was irresistible.

Each sale is logical, but when viewed together, it has the feel of an exodus and Southampton have the feel of a lost club, desperately scrambling to find its way again. The selling may continue, but Southampton are now struggling to spend the money they have in the bank.

Claude Puel is wisely holding back from splashing the cash just yet, as he looks over who he has and decides on what he needs.

Discontent has been rife amongst certain members of the squad in recent years and this led to a club appearing to have a necessity to sell on players, but did they really need to? Are there problems internally? Southampton would debate the point that they “need” to sell.

It looks as though they had to due to player pressure in some cases.

Optimism is high on the South Coast for the coming season, though. A new manager and great expectations of more of the same make it an engaging season for Saints fans, but even with the positivity around, the club need to hold onto the best players and build around them.

Equally, if there are things going on behind the scenes, it will unsettle players and more will either not join or leave and the selling club label will become more enhanced among the football fraternity.

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Looking at the EPL table in August is a little like feeling a Christmas present; while there is an undoubted sense of excitement and intrigue, it is almost impossible to draw any definitive conclusions about what to expect.

Despite this, it is surely no coincidence that the two Manchester giants are already leading the way, with only a single goal separating the sides that have recently been revamped by Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola respectively.

With the two teams set to meet at Old Trafford in the first game after the international break on 10th September, there are already those who believe that this season’s title race will evolve into a keenly contested, two horse race.

Jose vs. Pep: Who will Prevail?

With this in mind, let’s take a look at the two sides and their irrepressible managers, as we try to determine who will reign supreme at the end of the season.

Jose and Manchester United: A New Dawn for the fallen Giants?

While many have cited Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement as the catalyst for United’s recent decline, it was the board’s decision to appoint David Moyes that really undermined the Reds. There was no genuine comparison between Moyes and Ferguson when it came to top-level experience, while the former lacked the necessary stature and self-belief to follow in such exalted footsteps.

After a further two years with the successful but pragmatic Louis van Gaal at the helm, United have become a rudderless and inconsistent team bereft of belief, imagination and flair. It is this stark set of circumstances that led to the appointment of Mourinho, as while the Portuguese manager’s own ethos is not exactly tailor-made for United, his natural charisma and track record of success means that he is ideally placed to lift the Reds from their recent malaise.

We have seen evidence of this already, with Mourinho’s reputation crucial in securing the services of world class talent such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba. New centre-back Eric Bailly has also added athleticism and physicality to the United side, while the talented Armenian forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan may yet prove to be the best signing of all.

This combination of match-winners, when aligned with Mourinho’s ability to grind out results, will certainly awaken the giant and make the Reds a potent force this season.

Pep and Manchester City: Can the Blues become a consistent Force?

Despite the fanfare that accompanied Mourinho’s move to Old Trafford, the story of the summer was Pep Guardiola’s arrival at the Etihad. The Spaniard is considered by the board to be the final piece of the jigsaw in City’s quest for greatness, as the club strive to become a consistent and dominant force both domestically and on the continent.

Believe it or not, Pep also arrived in England with something to prove. While he won three consecutive league titles during his recent stint at Bayern Munich, for example, this was the bare minimum that was expected of him and his failure to reach a single Champions League final serves as a smudge against his reputation. More will be expected of him in England, however, particularly given his incredible trophy haul of 22 major honours in just eight years as a top flight coach.

Guardiola has made a steady, if unspectacular, start in the transfer market, investing in the services of German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and Spanish forward Nolito. The Spaniard has also spent big money on England defender John Stones as he looks to implement this style of building from the back and monopolising possession. It is Guardiola’s work with the existing City squad that has really caught the eye, however, with Sergio Aguero starting the season in top form and winger Raheem Sterling showcasing far more belief and consistency than last year.

While the ongoing feud with Joe Hart may be distracting from an impressive and goal-laden start for the Blues, City are justified as the many people’s favourites for the title.

The Last Word

Despite this, there is a growing sense that the greater Premier League experience of Mourinho (coupled with his desire to prove himself after his dismissal from Chelsea last season) will afford him a critical edge in the title race. The Portuguese’s superior efforts in the transfer market may also pay dividends, and while Pep may ultimately prevail we are backing United to win the Premier League by a whisker this time around.

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It has not been a good start to the season for the Hammers.

A 4-2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion means they have taken only three points from a possible 15 this season and currently lie 18th in the table.

Saturday’s loss, as well as the same scoreline in the previous week’s capitulation against Watford, means West Ham have also conceded 11 goals in their last three games.

It’s not just in the league where Bilic’s side have been struggling; they didn’t even qualify for the Europa League after being knocked out by Romanian side Astra Giurgiu for the second year running. A lot of fans are also worried about which side will turn up against Accrington Stanley in the League Cup on Wednesday.

Despite this, there are some reasons Hammers fans can be hopeful that Bilic will turn things around and guide them to the top half.

So here are five reasons West Ham fans should remain positive about this season…

ANTONIO HAS BEEN ON FIRE

One bright note for West Ham has been the red-hot form of Michail Antonio.

Antonio, who was called up for Sam Allardyce’s first English side, is currently the joint Premier League top scorer with Chelsea’s Diego Costa.

The former-Nottingham Forest man showed his eye for goal last season as he managed eight strikes despite spending parts of the season at right-back.

Since reinstating him in the Hammers attack, Antonio has looked the part. He has been so good in fact, that many Hammers fans are calling for him to start up front instead of Simone Zaza.

PAYET HAS STILL GOT IT

Despite West Ham’s performances of late, Dimitri Payet is still showing why he is regarded as one of the best players in the league.

The Frenchman had found playing time limited at first, coming on for 24 minutes in the opening game against Chelsea but then struggling for fitness after his Euro 2016 excursions.

Payet has started the last two games, however, winning the penalty against West Brom and setting up three goals in two games, including an audacious rabona assist against Watford.

For all of West Ham’s deficiencies, scoring goals won’t be a problem with Payet in the side.

THEIR NEW SIGNINGS HAVE YET TO BED IN

West Ham brought in ten new faces this summer, so there was always a chance they would need time to gel.

Given the choice, Bilic would have probably preferred to give his new signings some time to settle, but a number of injuries have forced him into starting players like Simone Zaza, who may not be match fit.

Sofaine Feghouli looked good after coming on while Alvaro Arbeloa should provide some much-needed experience. Once settled, the newbies should be able to show their worth and add some depth to the squad.

INJURED PLAYERS WILL RETURN

As mentioned, injuries are playing a big part in West Ham’s poor form at the moment.

New signing Andre Ayew won’t be back until November, while Andy Carroll is still at least a couple of weeks away; two players who were seen a key to the Hammers attack at the start of the campaign.

Equally as important (if not more so), Winston Reid and Aaron Cresswell are missing at the back. Hopefully, once the pair return, Bilic can shore up his defence so they concede fewer goals than they can undoubtedly score.

YOUNG PLAYERS CAN COME IN

If the worst comes to the worst, call on the kids.

West Ham are a club well-known for their young talent, with players like Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Jermain Defoe coming through the ranks.

Bar Mark Noble and the recently departed James Tomkins though, none have come through to nail down a first-team place in recent years. Perhaps it is time for this to change.

Giving players like Reece Oxford a chance could not only potentially help performances and morale but also prove helpful in holding onto their young talent.

There is also some excitement over Ashley Fletcher, who was signed on a free from Manchester United in the summer.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that star attacker Wayne Rooney is going through a tough time of it at Old Trafford and could well be dropped for today’s Premier League clash with Leicester City.

The Red Devils started the new campaign well with three victories, but defeat in the Manchester derby has been compounded by recent losses to Feyenoord in the Europa League and Watford last weekend.

Rooney has had to harbour a significant portion of the blame for the Old Trafford outfit’s poor start to the season and the England international has not been at his best so far.

Mourinho has opted to play the gifted attacker in the number ten role behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but some people are stating that this is holding world record signing Paul Pogba back.

With growing calls for Rooney to be omitted against the Foxes as United look to get back on track, Mourinho has confessed that his skipper will not get any special treatment.

“He is my captain, he is the club captain, the players’ captain and that is difficult because sometimes you are the club captain because you have lots of years in the club, sometimes you are the manager’s captain because the manager likes you very much, sometimes you are the players’ but not the manager’s one,” he told The Guardian.

“Wayne is the captain of the club, the manager and the players. He is trusted by the players, he is trusted by myself and he represents the club in a fantastic way as a player and person and what is now socially.

“Football is a different story. Football, everyone is the same and if he has to go on the bench, he goes on the bench; if he has to stay at home, he stays at home. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t trust him or you have a problem.

“Not at all. We have no problems. He is our captain, but of course, no privilege – he is like anyone else.”

Liverpool are a team that seem to be on the up under Jurgen Klopp.

The enigmatic German has transformed matters at Anfield and whether you’re a Reds fan or not, it’s hard not to be impressed by the impact he’s had on the Premier League.

But one man who struggled to break into his side was Mario Balotelli, swiftly moved on to Nice by Klopp during the summer. But it seems the Italian is now picking up some form Ligue 1, begging the question – should Liverpool have allowed him to leave?

With that in mind, here’s THREE reasons why they might have been better off keeping hold of Super Mario…

He’s absolutely flying for Nice

Balotelli wholeheartedly divided the nation during his time at Anfield although there was little doubting his potential.

The 26-year-old was never favoured by Klopp. But if his recent form is anything to go by, he does have it in him to perform at the top level.

He’s bagged six goals in five games for Nice, including a 4-0 win over giants Monaco, and showing form to suggest Liverpool probably could have been a little more patient with his development.

Injuries were the true reason behind his poor spell

If anything, Balotelli’s struggle to regain form after injury was the real reason behind his patchy spell at Anfield.

In his debut, a 3-0 win over Spurs, he linked up encouragingly with the likes of Daniel Sturridge but only after a major injury did he begin to struggle. His off-the-pitch controversies really didn’t aid his recovery but intrinsically, this injury was behind a lot of the problems that followed.

Had he returned to full fitness with more ease, things might have been different. Liverpool have kept the faith with Sturridge, after all.

Even Luis Suarez took time to settle-in

People often assume that Liverpool legend Luis Suarez began his Reds career like a duck to water but in fact, even he struggled to settle in to begin with.

In his first 13 league games, Suarez hit the back of the net four times. Was he cast aside? Absolutely not -he was given that pressure-free time period most players need to settle in.

Balotelli never got that, but if he had the time to really find his feet, he could have kicked on. He’s featuring regularly Nice and it’s really paying off.