West Ham eyeing up summer move for Balotelli? Here’s why it works…

Premier League club looking at the Italian

Mario Balotelli has lit up Ligue 1 with Nice this season. The 27-year-old forward has scored 21 goals in 29 matches for Les Aiglons.

And now reports in Turkey suggest the ex-Liverpool and Manchester City man could be on his way back to the Premier League with West Ham United this summer.

The Hammers are 3/1 to sign the maverick Italian but could face competition from the continent, with Galatasaray (2/1), Valencia (5/1) and Schalke (8/1) also said to be interested. Fellow Londoners Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are 14/1 each.

However, the Coral News Team think that the three-time Serie A winner would be the perfect fit at the Olympic Stadium. And here’s why…

Mavericks thrive in East London

West Ham love a non-conformist type player. Think Paolo Di Canio, think Ravel Morrison and to a lesser extent think Marko Arnautovic. They’re three players who have the ability to turn nothing into something.

Balotelli is very much in that mould. And as he’s proven at Nice, he enjoys being the big fish in a small(ish) pond. Sometimes a player thrives in the right circumstances. The Olympic Stadium has all of the required ingredients for the 6ft 2in striker to hit the ground running.

He’s Premier League quality

A player not having Premier League experience isn’t usually reason enough for a club not to sign them. But for the Hammers that could well ring true.

Jonathan Calleri, Simone Zaza, Pablo Barrera, Nene and Savio are just five players who have unwisely opted to move to East London in the last decade or so without tasting English football. All have failed miserably.