Reports over the weekend suggested that Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was interested in brining AC Milan forward Mario Balotelli to the Emirates because the 64-year-old believes he can “tame” the enigmatic footballer.

The Mail on Sunday were the first to report that Milan were looking to sell the former Manchester City striker two weeks ago and at the time they labeled the Gunners among possible suitors.

On Sunday, the Daily Mail’s Rob Shepherd revealed that Wenger was firmly interested in brining Balotelli to London for a £20 million deal alongside Queens Park Rangers Loic Remy.

Can Wenger tame Super Mario?

The Mail reported that Arsenal could take both strikers but would have to balance the books by selling German Lukas Podolski.

The most intriguing part of the Mail’s report is the final line, though, which states: “Wenger also feels he can tame Balotelli and turn him into a world class striker.”

It is this statement that I believe will excite Arsenal fans because surely if anybody can tame ‘Super Mario’ and actually make him super, it is the Arsenal manager.

Nobody can question his pedigree in producing exceptional young talent and nurturing them perfectly. And though the Italian is 23-years-old, he still has a lot of maturing to do.

Perfect man for the job

Wenger could be the perfect man to get the best out of a player that has so far, only shown glimpses of his talent and a lot more of his temper. Balotelli would surely enjoy the coaching the Arsenal boss does and how he is with his players.

You only have to listen to the players that have come from the youth system and current players that have been brought from elsewhere to understand how much respect and admiration they have for Le Professor.

Wenger philosophy with youth could work on Balotelli and turn him from a controversial forward into a world class one.

Of course, at the moment, there remains a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ because though the Mail are insistent that Balotelli is interested in moving to London, no concrete bids have, thus far, been made public; that isn’t to say behind the scenes lots of work could be going on.

£20 million fee

The £20 million transfer fee doesn’t seem too much considering he is an Italian international, has enjoyed some previous success in England and remains under the age of 24.

While the temperament and inconsistency of Balotelli could see some question if it is worth spending such a figure on him, in the modern era, £20 million isn’t that much for a striker who has showed his class and that he has bagsful of potential.

If Balotelli was to come in, would fans be happy with Podolski departing? The German has established himself as a favourite among his team mates and when he plays he usually performs to a high standard.

However, is he ever going to be the main man at the Emirates? If we could raise some cash and balance the wage bill by selling the attacker and then use that to fund a move for Balotelli would that please the Gunners faithful?

Would you accept Podolski leaving if it meant Balotelli and Remy moved to the Emirates?

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