We’ve been asking if Arsenal should keep or offload Folarin Balogun for months. Everyone has had a say on whether selling or keeping him is right. But before I tell you which side I’m on, I’d like to ask if the 21-year-old were to return to Arsenal next season, would he be able to break into the starting 11?
Well, I’m in the ‘let’s cash in on Balogun’ band; the striker has done himself well, but there are no guarantees he’ll return to Arsenal and start. If Arteta had to pick between Jesus, Nketiah, or him, Jesus would be favoured, and Nketiah and Balogun would come last in the pecking order. If Balogun is serious about his future, he needs to push for a permanent exit. He should continue in France, continue soaring, and move to the Bundesliga like all Ligue 1 hotshots, then, when ready, look to return to England.
Interestingly, as per ex-Arsenal academy graduate Jay Bothroyd, Arteta could easily add £40 million to his transfer kitty from his sale. “The first one I’d say would be [Folarin] Balogun. He’s been playing in France this year. I’d sell him because he’s done so well; you could get £40 million-ish, I would say,” said Bothyroyd on FourFourTwo.
Balogun has been a big hit in Ligue 1 this season with 20 goals in 35 games for Stade de Reims. Yes, the boy has potential, but sadly, he isn’t the physical “super striker” Arsenal need to go to the next level.
Should Arsenal cash-in on Balogun if we could get at least £40 million?
Darren N
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To sale Balogun for 40 million pounds is business calculation between long-term risk for silver wares and short-term monetary gains. If we believe in Arteta project for future bounty harvests, Balogun needs to be brought back with even some back up considering future enlarged engagements.
100% agree
Keep him we need him
Nooo! Why sell a striker when we need one, or two. In any case Balogun could turn out to be a more prolific striker than the ones we are looking at. Why not keep him one year and see where he can take the team.
Because we need the money to buy Rice and Caicedo or Maddison or amount and two defenders and Diaby
YES WE SHOULD SELL, even though I do not agree he will fetch quite “£40 mill, he will be let go for as much as we can obtain, IMO.
Surely one thing that should have been learnt from this season is it isn’t about the starting 11 ? its about the squad. So the relevant question is not whether a player is first choice in any position its whether he’s good enough to play there in important games. There’s also the question of flexibility, the more positions a player can play at the required level the more valuable he is (even if he isn’t first choice in any of them). So the question isn’t is Balogun good enough for the first 11, its is he good enough for the squad ?
We are moving away from having squad players to having more starting players. ESR was in squad and didn’t play. Vieira also barely figured. We don’t need squad players we need 18 starters.
Yes, I believe we should cash in because he’s similar to Nketiah and he isn’t the ideal fit for this team, IMO. We should sell at least one of Balogun or Nketiah
Bite. Their. Hand. Off.
£40 + Tierney + Xhaka = Rice
Simon It does not work that way. Players are not packets of cornflakes that a club can simply foist upon another club.
Tierney and Xhaka will almost certainly not agree to go to WH.
ISNT THAT OBVIOUS TO YOU, AND IF NOT, THEN WHY NOT?
I think he meant sales proceeds from, as opposed to direct swap to WH
What about Weetabix Jon ?
By the way, you know ‘our’ new dog Win, is it a he or a she ?
Also do you remember WINALOT ? Do they still manufacture that brand ?
@EvGunner
two points deducted for digression.
It is good to keep him for next season and give a chance to prove himself in the EPL.
If Balogun is worth 40 million, how does that compare with Nketiah’s worth? Most estimates about Nketiah place him between 20 and 25 million. Now, it baffles me how genuine Arsenal fans insist on the narrative that is dtermined to push a player closer to Jesus in value than either Nketoah or Trossard out of the door. How many teams worth their salt would flog such a successful striker in order to bring in a striker who has not an iota of premier log soccer. I fear this kind of mentality can only encourage a nentality of self entitlement and anti competition that does not push Jesus and Nketiah to perform at the highest level. Our season’s collapse requires much more serious soul searching fir not resting Magalhaes, Jesus, Partey, Saka and Saliba in order to freshen them up. That has nothing to do with whether Balogun should be number one or two or three or four in Arteta’s favourite lineup. Why can’t we learn from Pep who chooses lineups according to the demands of the fixtures rather than de Bryne’s/Mahres’/Foden’s/Grealish’s position in the hierarchy of superstars?
Mukanya
ZimArse – I guess Arteta needs to become more canny and maybe communicate and encourage his players better. He should have learned alot from Guardiola. It’s probable that he sees that certain players are not going to make the grade and has to play it by ear in order to ease some of them out. To be honest I can’t recall noticing Balogun play for us other than the Brentford game last season and I think he has only become more high profile because of his success in France. Therefore, it is very difficult to know whether he should be persevered with. My gut feeling is that he should be kept if he is willing to stay and vie with a top quality CF who we must acquire for next season. IMO that would be an almost ideal situation – if he really has improved.
By the way, I don’t rate Grealish and wouldn’t describe him as a superstar, he’s lucky to be where he is.
If he wasn’t our player we would be paying so much more for him, example Pepé 🤔
Balogun must replace Nketiah in the squad if he proves himself in pre-season. Surely he must be better otherwise be smart and sell for the highest price. We have become better at buying players so it’s about time we improve our selling quality which is currently pathetic apart from Willock and Iwobi.