Mario Balotelli should have been everything Liverpool needed.
In reality however, it turned out the complete opposite - and sadly the Reds may have been all too aware of what was to come before they even completed a deal.
The club were in search of more firepower after world-class striker Luis Suarez left Anfield to join Barcelona for £75million in 2014 but that hunt proved to be rather problematic.
Brendan Rodgers, who was in charge at Liverpool at the time, was two years into his project of assembling a high quality side with the backing of FSG which had a stellar team ethic and dressing room spirit to match.
He was searching for an elite option to challenge Daniel Sturridge and Rickie Lambert, however the manager suffered a blow when Alexis Sanchez spurned Liverpool's advances and went to Arsenal.
Next the focus turned to Queens Park Rangers’ Loic Remy with the Reds triggering his £8.5million release clause.
It looked like a smart piece of business for a proven top-flight goal scorer but the deal for the Frenchman collapsed on medical grounds.
Suddenly, Liverpool were back to square one.
Third on their list was Swansea City’s Wilfried Bony with the Ivorian frontman keen to make the move to Anfield.
Chief executive Ian Ayre held talks with his representatives but the £19million asking price – coupled with wage demands in excess of £100,000 per week – meant it went no further.
Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke also came under consideration before Liverpool made ambitious enquiries about the availability of stellar names such as Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani and Karim Benzema who were playing for Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid at the time - but nothing came to fruition.
With the September 1 transfer deadline looming and Liverpool running out of options, they considered Samuel Eto’o as a possible stop-gap signing in the knowledge that Belgium international frontman Divock Origi, a £10million purchase from Lille, would be arriving at Anfield the following summer.
However, snapping up the veteran Cameroon striker was always going to be a last resort with Rodgers wanting a younger and more mobile frontman to compete for a first-team spot at the time.
With the clock ticking and despite understandable reservations about Balotelli’s previous behaviour, Rodgers came around to the idea of signing the then 24-year-old who put pen to paper on this day in 2014.
Rodgers was renowned for his man-management skills and so it was hoped he could get Balotelli to toe the line - despite the player's rather chequered history which included lighting fireworks in his bathroom, throwing darts as Manchester City trainees, fighting with team-mates on the training ground and breaking club curfews during a two-and-a-half year stay at the Etihad.
And at 6ft3in, Balotelli was blessed with pace and strength, had the ability to torment defenders, score incredible goals and play with a real swagger. He cost just £16million from AC Milan too and on paper he looked like everything Liverpool needed.
"It was pretty clear to see that, strikers I've always worked with, Mario Balotelli didn't fit my style," Rodgers said back in June.
"But one thing I will say about Mario is that he has all the talent, and he genuinely has.
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"He should be one of the top three strikers in world football. He has everything. It's the difference between talent and working talent."
In 2012, City manager Roberto Mancini also said: "If Mario is not one of the best players in the world it will be his fault because he has everything."
Ultimately, Liverpool gambled on their belief that Rodgers would unlock Balotelli's potential, get him to work hard and showcase his outrageous abilities.
Four goals in 28 appearances across all competitions ended up being a meagre return and all the promises Balotelli made to the manager in his office prior to signing about knuckling down and committing to the team ethic were quickly broken.
He wasn't interested in learning or adapting his style.
A succession of pitiful excuses meant he regularly missed training at Melwood, he disrupted sessions while he was there, failed to learn the names of key first-team players and Rodgers’ patience with him had snapped long before May 2015.
Jurgen Klopp was then appointed at Liverpool in October and the club happily got rid of the Italian striker the following season on a free transfer to Nice, though FSG may have been spurned that their £16m gamble did not pay off.
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