How Albion have learned their lessons

Sources in Italy claimed the Baggies want the 25-year-old, who is on the verge of having his loan spell at AC Milan from Liverpool terminated.

His latest employers will soon be cited as another example of how difficult it can be to get the best out of the talented but troublesome striker, writes Craig Birch.

His parent club know that only too well and are prepared to cut their losses on the player, who cost them £16million from AC in August 2014.

He scored just four goals in 28 appearances for the Reds and thoughts of him replacing Barcelona-bound Luis Suarez soon evaporated.

Manchester City could have warned their Premier League rivals in advance, as they were the club that first brought him to our shores.

They were also the only team to get him on something like his form, with had convinced them to end his first spell at Milan with a £18m move.

Scoring on his debut, a double against Albion, another brace in the Europa League, his first Premier League hat-trick and a Man of the Match performance in the FA Cup final were highlights.

Injuring himself on said debut and the first of four red cards in that campaign at the Hawthorns showed there was always a flip side to him.

City were only seeing the bad side by the end of his second season, despite him having 10 league goals by the end of February.

He had also tried to stamp on Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Scott Parker, landing him a four-game ban. Then came the Sunderland fiasco.

Balotelli was nearly substituted after just five minutes of the 3-3 draw with the Black Cats, such was the unpredictable nature of his display.

He was even squabbling with his own team-mate, Aleksandar Kolarov, over who took a free kick. Then came a game against Arsenal in April.

Another red card there made manager Roberto Mancini claim Balotelli would play no part in the rest of the season, but his did appear as a substitute in the title-winning finale against Queens Park Rangers.

The last straw came in December 2012, when he decided to fight against Manchester City's decision to fine him two weeks' wages for his poor disciplinary record the previous season.

The man Mancini called "crazy" made motions to take his own club to a Premier League tribunal. With less than a day until it was due to start, he eventually dropped the action and accepted the fine.

Mancini himself sanctioned the £15m sale of Balotelli the following month to Milan, where he had previous turned out for rivals Inter.

He had spent most of his time at Inter falling out with his manager, Jose Mourinho, who publicly questioned his effort on several occasions.

Is this a player Albion would want? Clearly not, as it's become clear this afternoon. After what happened with Anelka, they won't take the risk.

At age 34, he arrived on a free transfer in the summer of 2013 after being released by Chinese outfit Shanghai Shenhua, during a career that saw him hailed as one of the world's most prolific strikers.

By the August, he was threatening to cut short his one-year contract and retire after walking out of a training session.

He ended taking compassionate leave after the death of his agent, but only missed one game. The real trouble came when he scored his first goal for the club.

Netting twice in a 3-3 draw with West Ham, he caused a storm by performing a 'quenelle,' a hand gesture popularized by his comedian friend Dieudonne.

It was described by Jewish groups as an inverted Nazi salute, with the Football Association and anti-racism organisations both launching investigations after allegations of anti-Semitism.

What a way to mark a goalscoring return, his first appearance in over two months. And an FA disciplinary hearing in the February took him to task.

They banned him for five matches, fined him £80,000 and ordered him to complete an educational course. Anelka then used social media to announce he was quitting Albion.

It was news to his employers, who retorted by giving him 14 days notice of termination from the club for gross misconduct. He's somehow now a manager, with Mumbai City in the Indian Super League.

Owner Jeremy Peace and boss Tony Pulis - the latter not there during Anelka's ill-fated spell but a notoriously no-nonsense manager - wouldn't want that sort of trouble.

Ask Saido Berahino, who has spent most of his time warming the bench after threatening to go on strike when a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur couldn't be agreed.

He'd be considered a model professional compared to some of the antics from Balotelli, who is fast becoming a wasted talent. And Mr Peace is certainly no fan of waste.