Liverpool Sells $83,000-Worth Of Mario Balotelli Merchandise Within 24 Hours Of Signing

Mario Balotelli did not score in his Liverpool debut at Tottenham, but in commercial terms "he has already made an impact," according to Sky News' Paul Kelso on blog-publishing site MEDIUM. Within 24 hours of the signing being announced, Liverpool sold £50,000 ($83,000)-worth of merchandise "with Balotelli’s name on it." Not all of that money "will flow back to the club, but there will still be a healthy margin to help offset the investment." Balotelli "has a trailer-load of baggage hitched to the back of his camouflage Bentley," but Liverpool has reasoned that with a transfer fee of "just" £16M ($26.6M), he is "worth a chance" (MEDIUM, 9/1).