Arsenal gets devastating news as they look set to lose top youngster

Arsenal has been one of the teams that give chances to their academy products and we have continued to enhance our reputation in that regard this season.

The Gunners have given chances to the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Bukayo Saka and Joe Willock in the first team and that would make you think that all their academy products would be confident of getting a first-team chance in the future.

But that isn’t the case with reports claiming that the Gunners are about to lose one of the most exciting talents from their academy.

The Athletic is claiming that the Gunners are on the verge of losing Folarin Balogun as the 18-year-old looks to go where he can get more first-team chances.

Balogun has been prolific for Arsenal’s youth teams and the club considers him a star of the future, however, with the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of him in the pecking order, he knows that it would be hard for him to get into the first team.

The report claims that Arsenal has been in talks with his representatives since the start of this year, but they have been unable to reach an agreement and with his current deal ending at the end of next season, the Gunners would look to cash in this summer.

Sun Sports claims that Brentford is interested in the striker.

Tags Folarin Balogun

13 Comments

  1. I just don’t get why we’re not selling players with a buy-back clause. We should’ve done it with Gnabry and Malen to name 2. We did a smart thing with Bennacer, just should’ve bought him back last summer. I would do the same with Mavropanos tbh.

    If you can sell Balogun with a buy-back clause, you can just get him back when he develops. If he doesn’t, then you at least made some profit

    1. @MrLucky I would love to have buy-back clause as well, but I think that they buying club is not always so keen on that. And to enforce a buy-back clause if that results in no deal may not always be a good thing either. And a buy-back clause have no effect if the player does not want to go back to Arsenal.

      What clauses do we have with Bennacer by the way?

      1. @TDO, you do have a point. But I think we should sell to smaller clubs. Most of them can’t afford the players normally, but if we give them a good deal, but with a buy-back clause, I don’t think they have much to say.

        For example when Werder bought Gnabry, Empoli bought Bennacer, PSV bought Malen.

        The clause we had on Bennacer was that we could match every offer coming in, or get some % of the profit if I remember correctly

  2. I don’t know much about the youth team so can’t comment on Folarin but in any sport there are people who are fantastic to a certain level and they reach a ceiling – sometimes it is mental, sometimes physical and sometimes both.

    And maybe he hasn’t had a chance?

    I know that some on the forum follow the youth team so will be interested to hear their thoughts.

  3. At a time when yet another article concerning Ozil features on this site, the future of young Balogun is to me a far more important subject for fans to consider.Here we have a tremendous young talent who rightly or wrongly believes his future lies elsewhere.Given the doubts regarding negotiations with Auba surely someone in our Management team is capable of convincing Balogun that he will get opportunities to prove himself at the highest level before too long.If we lose a youngster of his calibre at this stage of his career, what does that say for our claims of promoting from within ? In the midst of a Global economic crisis surely this is the time to give youth it’s chance.

  4. Arsenal needed to make tough choices and seem like we aren’t making any choices at all. No resolution on Aubameyang, what’s happening with Lacazette going to Atleti or not? Is Balgoun going to get promoted and offered a new contract? Is there any movement of any of these. It’s nice to just say they are working behind the scenes, but often in the past we hear Arsenal doing nothing and totally mismanaging these situations and it seems to be happening again. i bet Edu and Sanllehi are far more concerned about pulling off deals for their agent friends rather than what is best for Arsenal. Get them out.

  5. I’ve seen a few U23 games and although its a completely different level from first team football, this youngster looks to be the real deal. He has pace, dribbles well and can shoot with either feet. The comfort he shows on the ball in the final third is amazing. I hope Arsenal can come to an agreement because I really think this kid is going to be a top striker.

  6. How is this devastating news?? Remember this is Arsenal, this is normal. With Stan Kroenke in control we can forget about glory days

  7. Cant understand how this youngster has not been given a chance in the team with most of the first team players playing crap and for me he’s better than Mason Greenwood.

  8. I have to agree with Grandad here, What is the point in having an academy if you do not make full use of the potential within,we have a squad peppered with players that are not pulling their weight or producing any kind of consistancy apart from mediocrity,Mikel is here to build a squad to compete and win trophies,this takes time and he will not do it with half of the current players in it,now is a good time to be using these youngsters to show their metal on the big stage.

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