Arteta has sounded quite similar in talking about Balogun to the way he did about pre contract Auba. We certainly need this profile of player. I don't want to drop a penny on Odsonne if this guy can provide an attacking option.
24 pages for a guy who has done nothing
The problem here is we'd be giving him that sort of money when he's done relatively little here. You could argue Eddie would've been more deserving of that sort of contract this time last year but he's really gone off the boil since then and has gone from an almost rotation option and at times a guy who started successive games to a bit part player who rarely even comes off the bench anymore.
We'd be banking on Balogun based on his PL2 reputation alone and hoping that he'd translate that to senior football. And it doesn't matter how talented a player is there's no guarantees.
It's the sort of wage you'd give to someone like Edouard if you were to buy him. Considering Balogun has done absolutely nothing compared to Edouard it's a big gamble. Like are you gonna just not buy a striker and promote Balogun to replace Lacazette? Insanely big gamble.
The problem here is we'd be giving him that sort of money when he's done relatively little here. You could argue Eddie would've been more deserving of that sort of contract this time last year but he's really gone off the boil since then and has gone from an almost rotation option and at times a guy who started successive games to a bit part player who rarely even comes off the bench anymore.
We'd be banking on Balogun based on his PL2 reputation alone and hoping that he'd translate that to senior football. And it doesn't matter how talented a player is there's no guarantees.
Good luck agreeing a contract for £40k a week with a player like Edouard
As much as at seems ridiculous to pay him 40k/week after a few sub appearances ... in a world where Rhian Brewster is worth 23.5m, it also seems like very poor business to let a young player of this quality walk for nothing because you don't want to pay him 2m/year in wages.
Like, even in the worst-case scenario where he can't crack the first team squad and he goes to the Bundesliga or Championship on loan for next season, we could still sell him for 10x what we paid him in wages in the summer of 2022.
As much as at seems ridiculous to pay him 40k/week after a few sub appearances ... in a world where Rhian Brewster is worth 23.5m, it also seems like very poor business to let a young player of this quality walk for nothing because you don't want to pay him 2m/year in wages.
Like, even in the worst-case scenario where he can't crack the first team squad and he goes to the Bundesliga or Championship on loan for next season, we could still sell him for 10x what we paid him in wages in the summer of 2022.
Fair points, I do want him to stay too......
Let's see what happens but I'm not holding my breath when it comes to this club and monies lol.
Yeah for 6M over the course of a contract it’s basically a punt on a youngster who the club should have a bit more inside knowledge about than a transfer target.
Saka was rewarded with that amount after actually doing something. Balogun‘s not getting it after a few insta posts.
Honestly, I think it could save us money in the long run. Balogun has all the tools and we will actually profit because we'll be forced to cash in on Laca and Eddie (sadly). I'm very dubious about the CF market - there's not a lot of people I like. Edouard is good but I'm not completely convinced. I've also long believed the CF situation could easily be dealt with in house as we have many young CF talents - Balogun being arguably the most exciting one. If we really want to keep him. we have to give him the pathway.Saka’s getting his bag though in the summer I’d reckon.
He shouldn’t be judged as the standard because we’re getting 100k worth of production for a fraction of that price.
6M is a drop in the ocean when it comes to these youngsters. 40k a week doesn’t sound great but total outlay isn’t that bad.
Honestly, I think it could save us money in the long run. Balogun has all the tools and we will actually profit because we'll be forced to cash in on Laca and Eddie (sadly). I'm very dubious about the CF market - there's not a lot of people I like. Edouard is good but I'm not completely convinced. I've also long believed the CF situation could easily be dealt with in house as we have many young CF talents - Balogun being arguably the most exciting one. If we really want to keep him. we have to give him the pathway.
I think it’s more to do with the precedent it sets. You have a kid that has done nothing that demands £40k a month while our potential player of the season and at times ‘saviour’ is on £30k (according to some sources). How do you go into negotiations with Saka like this when his mate is earning more because of hype alone? It also gets a bit sticky when you consider a lot of our Hale End boys have the same agent. Personally, I feel like a lot of Arsenal fans are suffering from PTSD when it comes to our youngsters that we’re even justifying messing with our wage structure to keep one guy happy. We messed up big time with Gnabry but apart from him it’s not that deep. I mean yeah you could mention Bennacer, Malen, etc but they’re not world class right now. This Balogun dilemma has fans going crazy on a player I’m sure most haven’t watched a full u23 game to really assess.As much as at seems ridiculous to pay him 40k/week after a few sub appearances ... in a world where Rhian Brewster is worth 23.5m, it also seems like very poor business to let a young player of this quality walk for nothing because you don't want to pay him 2m/year in wages.
Like, even in the worst-case scenario where he can't crack the first team squad and he goes to the Bundesliga or Championship on loan for next season, we could still sell him for 10x what we paid him in wages in the summer of 2022.
I think it’s more to do with the precedent it sets. You have a kid that has done nothing that demands £40k a month while our potential player of the season and at times ‘saviour’ is on £30k (according to some sources). How do you go into negotiations with Saka like this when his mate is earning more because of hype alone? It also gets a bit sticky when you consider a lot of our Hale End boys have the same agent. Personally, I feel like a lot of Arsenal fans are suffering from PTSD when it comes to our youngsters that we’re even justifying messing with our wage structure to keep one guy happy. We messed up big time with Gnabry but apart from him it’s not that deep. I mean yeah you could mention Bennacer, Malen, etc but they’re not world class right now. This Balogun dilemma has fans going crazy on a player I’m sure most haven’t watched a full u23 game to really assess.