Mancini expecting super Mario impact
The 20-year-old has agreed a five-year contract after passing a medical with the Eastlands club yesterday.
Although the deal, estimated at around £22 million (€27m), was completed too late for Balotelli to be included for today’s opening league game at Tottenham, he will be available for the home encounter with Liverpool on August 23.
He will compete for a place with Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz in Mancini’s vast squad.
Although Balotelli has been involved in plenty of controversial incidents in the past, Mancini has not been put off signing a player he knows well from his days at Inter Milan. And he is convinced the player’s muscular style is perfectly suited to the English game.
“Mario is one of the best players of his age in Europe, and I very happy to be working with him again,” he said.
“His style of play will suit the Premier League, and because he is still so young there is a big chance for him to improve. He is a strong and exciting player, and City fans will enjoy him.”
City are also hopeful of tying up the transfer of England star James Milner, although Stephen Ireland’s demands for compensation still needing to be sorted out before the midfielder agrees to join Aston Villa.
Mancini said Ireland has no future at Eastlands.
“Stephen Ireland is a good player but he has been here all his life and he needs to change,” said Mancini.
“Sometimes it can happen that a player stays with the same squad for 15 years and plays well but a moment arrives when he needs to change. Now is time for him. I really think he can improve.”
Mancini, meanwhile, has accused Craig Bellamy of making false statements about him – and claimed he is not interested in what the Welshman says anyway because he is yesterday’s man. Bellamy has been hit by a massive fine after claiming the Italian was trying to force him out of Eastlands. He also claimed Mancini had stopped speaking to him, widening the growing rift still further.
Despite being one of the key figures in City’s push for a Champions League berth last term, Bellamy will play no part at White Hart Lane today.
Tottenham, Celtic and Fulham have all expressed an interest in the player, who Mancini has told no longer has a future with the Blues.
“Bellamy can talk but it is not important because it is false,” said the Italian. “The rule is I have to make a list of 25 players and choose my team from that list. The ones who are out need another team and Craig Bellamy is out of the list.”
Ahead of the new season, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has warned Arsenal that Spurs are ready to end 15 years of hurt and prove they are the top club in north London.
Arsenal have been the dominant force in north London since 1995 but Spurs came within just five points of the Gunners last season as they gatecrashed the top four for the first time.
Redknapp believes he is now just a couple of shrewd signings away from not only overtaking Arsenal but also mounting a genuine bid to land Tottenham’s first league title since 1961.
“We were behind Arsenal by miles for years and years and years but now we’ve got a chance to really push them and get above them. That would be great for Tottenham fans and it’s possible,” said Redknapp.
“If Arsenal had lost their last game of last season we would have finished above them last year. We finished fourth, our best ever finish (in the Premier League) and we have to build on that now. It is about time somebody else won the championship. It is not impossible. The sky is the limit and we have got to go for it. Tottenham will never get a better chance.’’
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