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Folarin Balogun (Out)

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Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
Extend + loan to Championship with the promise of minutes / 3rd striker spot next season? Please?

Why would he go to the Championship when he can go an play top flight in Germany, maybe EL or even CL? With Leipzig interested I'm pretty sure the likes of Gladbach, Leverkusen, Wolfsburg are all looking at him, too.
 

Ibadan

Thread Bump Police
Transfer window closes Feb 1 I think. I'm hoping he would have left by now if he intended to.
 

berric

Established Member

Player:Trossard
Why would he go to the Championship when he can go an play top flight in Germany, maybe EL or even CL? With Leipzig interested I'm pretty sure the likes of Gladbach, Leverkusen, Wolfsburg are all looking at him, too.

Only because our latest loans to Bundesliga didn't turn out well and Championship seems to becoming a perfect EPL introduction to youngsters + guaranteed start at the right club. That is, if he wants to stay. Which I doubt.
 

Macho

In search of Pure Profit 💸
Dusted 🔻

Country: England
If he impresses on that loan he can have the 2nd spot. He’s a bigger talent than Eddie.
To be honest, he has done absolutely nothing that Nketiah hasn't done at U23 level and even senior level. Except pass the eye test in his cameos.

Eddie used to be the cool kid once, I find it odd people put the ceiling on Eddie's talent with such conviction and certainty.
 

Maybe

You're wrong, no?
Why would he go to the Championship when he can go an play top flight in Germany, maybe EL or even CL? With Leipzig interested I'm pretty sure the likes of Gladbach, Leverkusen, Wolfsburg are all looking at him, too.
He doesn't have to deal with the language, new country, etc. After the initial period, it's gonna be harder to make a permanent transfer to a top club because of the money these clubs ask for so he could spend years there before making a move to a club where he really wants to play.
Both decisions have pros and cons
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
Only because our latest loans to Bundesliga didn't turn out well and Championship seems to becoming a perfect EPL introduction to youngsters + guaranteed start at the right club. That is, if he wants to stay. Which I doubt.

Being rated lower than Nketiah by the manager, not getting any minutes right now and the glorious path they show you is a loan to the second league and after that returning as 3rd choice striker in more than a years time. The other option being a permanent move on a free to a league known to develop young players and maybe even playing internationally. I think we all know how this would end.

Imo he's either getting a neat contract and Nketiah's game time from now on or he will leave.
 

neimad

Well-Known Member
I don't buy this narrative that he's rated less than Nketiah by Arteta. As Balogun is the younger prospect and Nketiah has more experience he's whether rightly or wrongly being getting more game time.

Balogun has shown he has talent but to start playing him now without the loan spell(s) that are generally the steps on the ladder to full team integration would be a big gamble.

The agent is playing hardball and judging by the murmurings from Arteta the player wants to stay. In my opinion a lot of this might be to get a better contract offer. Arteta and Edu have been draining the swamp in a lot of ways with some players/cliques so to be pressured into something probably won't work here.

Still, I'm holding out hope Balogun does sign. I personally do see him as the better talent than Nketiah but I also would like to see him go down the loan route Nketiah and many others have and then come back and prove yourself next season. Yet if that agent has both of these players on his books its best to move one on. Quite a few dynamics at play here.
 

say yes

forum master baiter
To be honest, he has done absolutely nothing that Nketiah hasn't done at U23 level and even senior level. Except pass the eye test in his cameos.

Eddie used to be the cool kid once, I find it odd people put the ceiling on Eddie's talent with such conviction and certainty.
I don’t think there’s anything that odd about it.

I like Eddie but don’t think he’s got the link-up play and all round game to excel as a CF, having seen a decent amount of him now.

I’ve seen a lot less of Balogun, who may also not pass muster, but he’s certainly passed the early eye-test and those who have watched him in the reserves confirm that yes, he has better link-play and a more rounded game than Eddie (even if he’s less of a goalscorer) and that he is probably the bigger talent.
 

drippin

Obsessed with "Mature Trusted Members"

Country: Finland

I would hope that a young player who has been at Arsenal for something like 10 years, would want to be a success in that team. Totally different than with Gnabry for example.

Luckily most of Arsenal youth players seem to be good guys, and make new contracts here at least for the first years when turning pro.
 

TakeChillPill

Established Member
Eddie is a poacher, simple as, he showed in on his debut against leeds I believe where he scored two goals in the dying minutes to win the game. But they were both from corners, one was a pure poachers finish.

Unfortunately we can all agree he lacks that cutting edge. Even when he had his Loan spell at leeds under Belisa he didn't start many games. All his goals for Leeds we tap ins.

Balogun goal that he scored in the Europa he scored like a vetern pro, control pivot shoot goal. it was beautiful to watch. Haven't seen anything like that from Nkethiah.
 

Arson Finger

Active Member
Looks like it will not happen, but I would extend Balogun and give him the #3 striker minutes now. Loan Eddie somewhere he can play regularly. Sell Lacazette in the summer.

In preseason, let Eddie, Martinelli, and Balogun fight for the #2 job behind the old man Auba, who can also play on the left. Plenty of minutes would be available, especially in the first half of the season. Someone will likely get injured as well, this is Arsenal.

We can then reassess next January and make whatever moves we need to then. Nketiah and Balogun are very young, there's no need to make a final decision on either right now.

Eddie needs to play in a side that generates some chances. When he was out there with Willian every time, we never passed the ball into the opponent's penalty area, never had shots on goal, never put the defense under pressure. Our whole attack was to launch crosses to no one. That style won't work for Nketiah.
Strikers who can produce in that style need to be target men or fast, fancy guys who can beat defenders off the dribble, not poachers who take advantage of pressure and mistakes. But he can succeed on a team that generates pressure and scoring chances and dribbles and passes into the penalty area, like we've started to do now.

Eddie has barely played with ESR. Look what playing with ESR, Saka, and sometimes Martinelli and Partey has done for Lacazette. It would have a similar boost on Eddie's production as well. I think he has a chance to do well here in the future as long as we play this recent style.

I want us to keep Balogun too, and I think offering him some occasional Premier League minutes this year and a new contract is the only way that could happen. We could start to see how he does in the league and protect a potentially valuable asset, while getting Nketiah minutes out on loan.
 

Gooner416

Master of Stonks
Trusted ⭐

Country: Canada
To be honest, he has done absolutely nothing that Nketiah hasn't done at U23 level and even senior level. Except pass the eye test in his cameos.

Eddie used to be the cool kid once, I find it odd people put the ceiling on Eddie's talent with such conviction and certainty.
Eddie broke Shearer's record ffs, he's being played in a system that doesn't suit him and he's shot for confidence. I still think he'll be a solid PL striker, just not with us clearly.

Balogun on the other hand can succeed here, but I agree he really has only passed the eye test. His technicality, link up and pace though would inject a different dimension to our attack that we sorely lacked when we weren't scoring goals, which is why I was screaming for him.
 

dashsnow17

Doesn’t Rate Any Of Our Attackers
Trusted ⭐
If I were Balogun and I wanted to play for Arsenal and I thought I was good enough to play for Arsenal I would simply sign a deal and show the coach that I should be playing, cos the competition in front of him is Lacazette and Nketiah, which is very weak competition tbh. It's not like we have Haaland up top and there's no hope of him ever getting a game.

Other explanation is that his agent wants money and they think they can get more money elsewhere.
 

Mrs Bergkamp

Double Dusted
Dusted 🔻
I hope he signs. He has the profile i think we need and it will be good to take a look at him before spending millions on for example Eduoard who might not do a better job. We haven't "produced" a top striker and I've hooes he's the real deal for us.
 

Rasmi

Negative Nancy

Country: England
I hope he signs. He has the profile i think we need and it will be good to take a look at him before spending millions on for example Eduoard who might not do a better job. We haven't "produced" a top striker and I've hooes he's the real deal for us.
he should want to stay more than we want to keep him. If you are a young striker at arsenal, this is the best time to be here. He is at a big club and training with the first team at the age of 19. Going to foreign country he could easily not be fancied and suffer and lose himself there. He would come back to england at a smaller club and if he does well.....he probably will have a pl team taking chance on him. What are the chances a bigger club than arsenal will?
 

Mrs Bergkamp

Double Dusted
Dusted 🔻
he should want to stay more than we want to keep him. If you are a young striker at arsenal, this is the best time to be here. He is at a big club and training with the first team at the age of 19. Going to foreign country he could easily not be fancied and suffer and lose himself there. He would come back to england at a smaller club and if he does well.....he probably will have a pl team taking chance on him. What are the chances a bigger club than arsenal will?
I hope its just posturing by Balogun but this isn't the late 90's or early 20's where we were almost a must for many good youngsters. The desires of both parties are evenly matched imo. I just hope we keep him. If he works out, it will be great for us. We'll obviously lose some good players but not before we've had a good look at them I hope.
 
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