Folarin Balogun: Balogone

[grange]

People beating up on Edu need to realise one thing success in selling footballers is not like selling cars

That's great to hear because Edu couldn't sell a used car in this historic market of overpriced lemons. He has driven most of our outgoing players off of cliffs and received nothing in return because he wasn't current with his car insurance.

 

[amigo]

That's great to hear because Edu couldn't sell a used car in this historic market of overpriced lemons. He has driven most of our outgoing players off of cliffs and received nothing in return because he wasn't current with his car insurance.

Can you please explain your analogy to me and tell me what Edu has done wrong? As far as I know he inherited a bad squad of overpaid mediocrity and had to make some tough decisions to clear it out for the current crop who are doing so well. Is there something you wish he done differently? If the buyers are not there what more can he do?

 

[grange]

Is there something you wish he done differently?

Let me know when he sells a player for actual money.

 

[drippin]

Let me know when he sells a player for actual money.

He has sold Willock for 25 million pounds after his goal scoring purple patch, with little experience and 2 years in contract.

He had played ~1200 EPL minutes for Arsenal at that point overall.

 

[grange]

He has sold Willock for 25 million pounds after his goal scoring purple patch, with little experience and 2 years in contract.

Most of AM thought selling him was a mistake. Still, that's one.

 

[TheGreatWright8]

I think Eddie is able to pull off magical poacher goals that I haven’t seen from Balogun yet. I think Eddie is a better CF than Balogun, but Balo could be an elite wide forward. I think Balo’s back to goal play is quite average despite being bigger than Eddie.

Balogun is way more technically sound on the ball then Eddie He has far more to his game in addition to being more versatile.

Eddie has struggled on the wing this season where Balogun would've excelled.

 

[drippin]

Most of AM thought selling him was a mistake. Still, that's one.

I didn't. Perfect time to sell him and good money for such little experience.

For the type of midfielder he is, I rather wanted that Arsenal keeps ESR (too bad about the injuries though). No need to keep too many "similar" players as they don't fit Arteta's tactics well then.

RCM or the other CMF looks like being Ødegaard/Vieira more of a AMF playmaker type, and the other a bit different.

 

[dka1]

Most of AM thought selling him was a mistake. Still, that's one.

*Cough* not me *cough*

He scored a lot of goals that season.

I feel personally attacked.

Leave me alone.

 

[Trilly]

Sometimes AM behaves like a cantankerous old git in a retirement home. I can't believe people are making a drama out of one of our kids doing well out on loan. Relax!

You are a master at complaining about things that haven’t happened

 

[TheGreatWright8]

Balogun will absolutely cook in this Arsenal team

 

[Tom Mix]

You are a master at complaining about things that haven’t happened

Maybe you read the abridged version of the thread? Most of the last few pages have been about how horrible it is to have Balogun playing so well and should we get rid of him or Nketiah. That's pretty Woody Allenesque.

 

[TheDrunkenMaster]

*Cough* not me *cough*

He scored a lot of goals that season.

I feel personally attacked.

Leave me alone.

Willock is a starter for third placed Newcastle. We would have been better off keeping him than spending the money on lokonga. Willock would have been a decent back up for Xhaka and would also have allowed us to rest Partey in easier games and play xhaka in parteys spot.

 

[Pepesuave]

Or maybe he is back playing at his level.

 

[Geofranco]

Willock is a starter for third placed Newcastle. We would have been better off keeping him than spending the money on lokonga. Willock would have been a decent back up for Xhaka and would also have allowed us to rest Partey in easier games and play xhaka in parteys spot.

Xhaka can't play the Partey role. He is nowhere near the level required on and off the ball.

 

[Geofranco]

Most of AM thought selling him was a mistake. Still, that's one.

With this market and the fact that Willock was homegrown and English, he should have def gone for more. If Mudryk is going for what Chelsea paid for him then Balogun should be worth just as much or even more at this point.

 

[Dokaka]

Willock is a starter for third placed Newcastle. We would have been better off keeping him than spending the money on lokonga. Willock would have been a decent back up for Xhaka and would also have allowed us to rest Partey in easier games and play xhaka in parteys spot.

From what I've read, most Newcastle fans still feel like they got fleeced in that deal and are looking at Willock as one of the first players they need to replace ASAP to level up. They paid for what looked like a proper goal threat from midfield and ended up with a poor man's Jordan Henderson. The guy is also a surprisingly poor passer considering he went through your academy.

I was one of the people who thought you should've kept him, but from what I've seen since then Arsenal made the right choice.

 

[Gooner Zig]

Willock's physical attributes are tailor made for the PL but yeah, from what I've seen in the PL, his technical level wouldn't be at the level required here.

 

[MutableEarth]

From what I've read, most Newcastle fans still feel like they got fleeced in that deal and are looking at Willock as one of the first players they need to replace ASAP to level up. They paid for what looked like a proper goal threat from midfield and ended up with a poor man's Jordan Henderson. The guy is also a surprisingly poor passer considering he went through your academy.

I was one of the people who thought you should've kept him, but from what I've seen since then Arsenal made the right choice.

Eh, recently he's been one of their better players, acknowledged by Newcastle fans themselves. Since Howe's come in, he's been virtually undroppable. Having said that:

Willock is a starter for third placed Newcastle. We would have been better off keeping him than spending the money on lokonga. Willock would have been a decent back up for Xhaka and would also have allowed us to rest Partey in easier games and play xhaka in parteys spot.

I don't think Arteta would have used him quite as effectively simply because Willock isn't as good at keeping possession, and is a bit less protective of the ball than Xhaka is. Whoever backs up Xhaka here has to be a little more responsible.

 

[Dokaka]

Eh, recently he's been one of their better players, acknowledged by Newcastle fans themselves. Since Howe's come in, he's been virtually undroppable. Having said that:

Browsing their subreddit really doesn't give me that impression. Plenty of upvoted posts look like this:

To be clear, I didn't mean to paint a picture of Willock being terrible, he's a decent PL level player. Just seems to be a consensus that he's not at the level required to play in a CL level team, but I suppose that does somewhat make a case for him being a decent back up option for you lot if you kept him. Still, seems a bit much to decline a £25m offer for a bit-part player who (according to reports) really wanted to leave for a starting spot in a different team.

Obviously there's also the more intangible aspect of giving an academy product a proper chance instead of cynically selling him after an exciting purple patch, which is hard to put a price on. From a pure sentimental point of view it'd most likely have been a better choice to give Willock a real chance after his loan spell and not sign someone like Lokonga, but that point is obviously easier to make right now given how Lokonga has failed to impress.

 

[drippin]

Still, seems a bit much to decline a £25m offer for a bit-part player who (according to reports) really wanted to leave for a starting spot in a different team.

He had 2 years in contract, so there's always these intangibles when selling a player. I also do think that he wanted to leave for Newcastle, he had only ~1200 EPL minutes under his belt. He wasn't exactly what Arteta needed at that point, while being a good promising midfielder.

Obviously there's also the more intangible aspect of giving an academy product a proper chance instead of cynically selling him after an exciting purple patch, which is hard to put a price on.

I assume it was mutually agreed, because Willock would have needed to renew. And he likely wanted some promises of game-time. I would have if I was in his position.

From a pure sentimental point of view it'd most likely have been a better choice to give Willock a real chance after his loan spell and not sign someone like Lokonga, but that point is obviously easier to make right now given how Lokonga has failed to impress.

Willock was never a #6 type of player. Sambi had that potential at least. Didn't work yet, but it's not an easy position. Sambi of course is one of the worst signings thus far, but Vieira wanted him and even substituted him in against United straight away.