Arsenal youngster wants to stay but considering ’15 bids’ from other clubs

Fabrizio Romano claims that Folarin Balogun has as many as 15 bids on the table for his signature, but he loves Arsenal Football Club.

The young striker is into the final six months of his playing contract, and is allowed to discuss terms with foreign clubs over a free transfer for the end of the season.

Despite the offers on the table, Romano insists that the striker isn’t close to agreeing anything, and his love for Arsenal means that we still have every chance of securing his signature, but only if we play him.

Balogun is yet to make his Premier League debut for the club, nor has he been given the nod to start in the Europa League or League Cup where he has picked up minutes from the bench.

The 19 year-old has impressed when featuring however, and is claimed to believe that he can add to the first-team, and Romano insists that the Gunners can only persuade him to stay by granting him minutes, an opportunity they overlooked against Newcastle in the FA Cup last weekend.

Romano told AFTV as seen on their YouTube channel: “My personal opinion, Balogun is an amazing talent and it’s crazy to arrive in January negotiating with his agents and not having a new contract one or two years ago.

“You need to be fast when you have this kind of talent. The situation, I’m told Balogun is not close to signing with another club.

“He has like 15 bids on the table from Italian clubs, English clubs, German clubs. Many clubs are talking with his agent because now he’s a potential free agent for the summer.

“They’re talking to his agent and offering him some different, he has some big clubs who see him as part of the future of the club and some mid-table clubs trying to get him to make him play. Balogun wants to play, his priority is to play.

“In the Europa League he was amazing but he was playing 60 minutes in total and that’s why the player is not so happy. He’s still open to talking with Arsenal about a new contract if they will let him play.

“He’s just not happy and talking to other clubs just because he’s not playing. At the moment the situation is so open.

“If Mikel will change the situation and let him play in the next weeks for sure the situation can change and he can sit with Arsenal and discuss a new contract.

“If not and if he will continue not playing, I think the player will go because he has many bids. He can decide important English clubs who see him for the future or going to play in a mid-table club to be a top star.

“He loves Arsenal, I heard he loves the club and would like to stay but he’s just not playing. For a young talent it’s terrible not to play.

“That’s why he’s waiting to understand what’s going on. He has the opportunity to stay if Arteta will make him play. I’m told he wants to be part of the project of the club immediately.

“Obviously you can say he’s so young and Arsenal have many players in attacking roles but he wants to feel like part of the project also for the present.

“He feels he’s ready to help the club and wants to play. We have to respect it. At the moment it’s still open. We will see in the coming weeks what’s going on.”

Is Balogun good enough to pick up first-team minutes? Is there simply no room for him because of Eddie Nketiah’s role at present?

Patrick

READ MORE: Arsenal in talks for Turkish wonderkid

Tags Fabrizio Romano Folarin Balogun

30 Comments

  1. I think this guy is a real talent and could definitely be the future of asmrsenal. I actually think he is better than Eddie nketia who is very good.

    I think if we can pin him down we should sell or loan Eddie.

    I think lacca and auba should be into their final contracts with arsenal now and we need to think about their replacements

    1. I agree, he is a mile ahead of eddie and Auba and Laca are nearing the end of their careers. Balogun should be the future

  2. From what I have seen Balogun is a much better prospect than Nketiah, so it’s a no brainer. Give him some minutes and do everything possible to keep him.

    1. If this is the case then Arteta has himself to blame for not giving the lad a chance to shine, and yet persisting with the sub par Nketiah.

    2. I heard the same rumour apparently he has an agreement in place with RB Leipzig who are renowned for developing young talents how sad,I don’t get it only recently MA was telling us how positive he was about the whole thing??

  3. You guys have said it all, Flo Balogun is better than Nketiah, they should keep him and sale Nketiah, he is a more rounded player. There are two other strikers too who are better prospects in my opinion than Nketiah, Nikolai Miller, the other one is already on loan at Bristol city I think

    1. It’s also been mentioned that it isn’t about the money, as we’ve offered
      him a ‘substantial’ amount.It’s about the minutes!!

    2. Letting Balogun to go is another Martinez mistake. Selling your best Golikeeper ever to remain with deplicate, Balogun is the best Ghetia is deplicate.

  4. Club can’t change mistakes of the past, but they can sure avoid mistakes now. They should sign Balogun, and immediately let him compete with Edie with minutes as a sub.

    The kid has the composure and first touch that Nketiah clearly lacks, so it’s surely in the clubs best interest. Overall, I would loan Nketiah due to the depth we have in that striker position. Maybe Balogun has a future as a winger and can be tried in that position.

    1. Reading articles that Balogun has agreed pre contract with Leipzig. Incredibly deflating if true, it appears we have let another talented player slip through our fingers.

      How Nketiah is still fluffing his opportunities and showing very little improvement in his time with the first team.

      Well, all indications that player wanted to stay, it was down to playing time and not money. Huge miss IMHO, and we will be continually waiting for Nketiah to come good.

  5. I would also add that we have Martinelli who is so far ahead of Balogun and are pretty much the same age and who I see as a future world class striker unless Arteta feels he belongs on the wing .
    There are also plenty of up and coming strikers if the club fancy dipping their hands in their pockets .
    Plenty in the french league ,the Nigerian kid Osimhen who plays for Lille ,would be my pick ,strong ,great height and as pace .
    Maybe they would sell us him for say ….72 million 👍
    Personally I don’t see Balogun or Eddie as future stars leading the line for a top team .

    1. I agree with you about the talent level of Martinelli, in terms of development compared to Balogun and Nketiah.

      I’ve read several times where Martinelli said he fancies himself as a winger, and it appears that Arteta is in agreement; based on his recent appearances.

      Perhaps the club sees Saka and Martinelli occupying the wing positions in the future, and the striker seems to be undecided. I don’t think Nketiah is the answer; he runs a lot but offers precious little in terms of goals.

      He was a scoring machine with U-23’s but in over a year he has yet to transfer that form to the PL 1st team. I think enough time has been spent waiting on him, and he either needs a loan for regular playing time, or be sold. Not a big loss based on his lack of productivity.

    2. Thanks Dan kid, I don’t know what is wrong with some arsenal fans that make you to be obssessed with an inexperience kid in premier league and already rated him ahead of Nketia who has a lot of experience in premier league and best england striker in under 21….
      Are you guys in training with them? Arsenal offered him a contract and he was trying to give us a condition that he must play(absolutely no, he can’t dictate to us). He is still young and needs nurturing from arteta if he can endure and be hardworking….. Both Auba and Lacazzete are old so he will have his chance if he want to stay, let’s look at smith Rowe for example: he had a lot of step back (through injuries and loans) and when it was time for him to shine, he got the chance and grabbed it..
      If Balogun feels that he want to go because of minutes (@ 19yrs for that matter) so be it but he should learn from Liverpool young star striker who decided to leave them for minute to Sheffield united. They are battling with relegation zone now and they are not even using him….
      My advice for you Balogun is that you are talented and young, don’t rush, calm down and stay in your boyhood club that you love most, your time is also coming not everybody will be lucky like gnabry…

      1. Wow
        Didn’t even see that transfer 😂
        Oh well that one will never happen then .
        Shame really from what I saw of him last season ,not surprised he went for that kind of money seeing we paid the same for Pepe .

  6. I think the reason he got left out of the first team recently is because of the RB Leipzig deal. I would now not be surprised to see Arsenal offer him early to Leipzig, may be as a sweeter for upamecano or sabitzer. Either way if he has made his decision then he should fall way down the pecking order behind Moller.

    Likewise Mustafi and Luiz should now be behind chambers and Ceballos behind Party, Xhaka, AMN, Willock, ESR and Elneny as they too will soon be out of contract with the club.

    1. Atid I would think the reason that he agreed to move to RB Leipzig is because he wasn’t getting playing time once the club was made aware of it he was no longer considered for selection no??

  7. Why do some fans blame the club and Arteta of letting Balogun go?

    We don’t know the terms of the player and would u agree to play Balogun ahead of Auba and Laca is he insists?

    If you don’t want to play for Arsenal he should leave. I am not worried.

    I don’t also agree to the fact that he’s better than Nketiah. No one was performing including Nketiah when the team were losing matches. We seem to forget so soon.

    1. And Nketiah was much more impressive than Balogun in the youth teams.
      Nothing is set in stone, but good luck to the lad. Take the money before he is exposed…

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