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Joe Allen says he can’t wait to play alongside Liverpool FC new-boy Mario Balotelli – and believes the Italian’s signing is a symbol of the club’s ambition.

After a weekend of negotiations, Balotelli completed his £16m switch from AC Milan on Monday. The Italian watched from the stands as his new club were beaten 3-1 by his old one, Manchester City, hours later.

The 24-year-old is in contention to make his Reds debut against Tottenham this Sunday, and Allen reckons he will prove to be a “great addition” to Brendan Rodgers’ squad.

“I’m excited to work with him,” said the Welshman. “He’s a player with massive quality.

“He has that spontaneous edge to him. He’s going to give us a massive threat. It’s a signing that is another great addition.”

Balotelli is one of nine new signings Liverpool have made during the summer, with the club spending over £100m in the process.

Allen, though, believes such investment will prove to be money well spent as the season progresses.

He said: “It’s credit to the club and all the staff who have worked so hard this summer to strengthen the squad on the back of a positive season. It shows our ambition to take that next step going forward.

“All the additions have settled in quickly. That’s been a big positive so far. They’ve brought plenty of pace and they are going to be a big threat for us throughout the year.

“Our squad has great balance now throughout, strength in depth and there is certainly going to be competition for places in every area.

“Top players like playing with top players. It brings out the best in people.

“It’s great to have competition throughout the squad. It spurs everyone on to improve and perform at their best.”

Rodgers’ side will, naturally, be looking to bounce back at White Hart Lane this weekend, after a disappointing second-half performance against City.

“We’re disappointed with the result,” Allen added.

“But all of us are excited going forward and we’re looking to bounce back with a good result at Spurs.

“City is a tough place for anyone to go to.

“We’ll analyse certain things, look to improve and look forward to going to White Hart Lane for another big game.

“It’s small margins at this level. It’s not just negatives to take away from the game but unfortunately we conceded three goals.

“They punished lapses in concentration.

“They were clinical. On the balance of play before the first goal it was pretty even but they put their chances away and after the first goal we were always climbing a mountain. The timing of the first goal, just before half time, was disappointing.

“Last season we had a great season but when we analysed it we conceded goals too easily at times. It’s something we’re looking to rectify, but throughout the season we will see a big improvement in that area.

“We’ve come to the Etihad three times since I’ve been here now, played well but unfortunately not come away with the results we were looking for.

“But we are certainly on the right path. It’s just tough against a team like Man City who have such quality in attack.”