Folarin Balogun (Out)

[2Smokeyy]

If we had a top striker like Haaland would we even be that fussed about losing Balogun or Nketiah being in contention for a starting position which is mainly due to our lack of quality in that position.

The main issue is Lacazette and should have been addressed a long time ago. For a midtable team then Lacazette is a decent option but if we’re going for top 4 then we need to upgrade significantly.

 

[Rex Stone]

If we had an top striker like Haaland would we even be that fussed about losing Balogun or Nketiah being in contention for a starting position which is mainly due to our lack of quality in that position.

The main issue is Lacazette and should have been addressed a long time ago. For a midtable team then Lacazette is a decent option but if we’re going for top 4 then we need to upgrade significantly.

Yeah Haaland should definitely be the priority.

Strong agree.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

Haaland will not come here. Don't do this to yourselves.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

I also don't get the hate Nektiah is getting because of Bolagun our fans sometimes are weird both are young both are not starting ahead of Auba and Laca both are not in level of elite talent like Saka and Martinelli. if Bolagun goes so be it we did our thing and offered him new deal we can't force people to stay.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

Haaland will not come here. Don't do this to yourselves.

He's Madrid/Barca/Bayern bound. Maybe City.

 

[HairSprayGooners]

And how good is that exactly?
Balogun’s (frustratingly) barely played any 1st team football. Yes he looked promising but thats it. If he were as good as some make out then he’d have played more.

Think the frustration stems more from people’s dislike of Nketiah and the idea of losing this unknown talent that may or may not be better than Eddie. Nketiah has achieved far more than Balogun, so far.

He may have achieved more in terms of U21 football. But that means naff all in the grand scheme of things. Nketiah is an incredibly limited player and he's performed fairly poorly whenever called upon in the first team.

He isn't shockingly bad, he doesn't deserve abuse, he simply just isn't good enough for this level. He has no stand out attributes except movement, and in this day and age you need way more than that to make it in the premier league.

When you see Balogun you see an elite looking player in terms of physical traits, plus he seems to be a fantastic finisher off both feet.

When you see Eddie he's very limited, finishing has actually been very poor in his games before he was dropped, and he just doesn't have that aura about him.

 

[2Smokeyy]

I’ve noticed our fans overreact when we lose players because our squad is bang average compared to other teams in the PL.

Liverpool sold Ings for 20m and their fans weren’t too fussed as they had Roberto Firmino occupying his position.

 

[Rex Stone]

I’ve noticed our fans overreact when we lose players because our squad is bang average compared to other teams in the PL.

Liverpool sold Ings for 20m and their fans weren’t too fussed as they had Roberto Firmino occupying his position.

Yeah but they sold Ings for money though. We didn’t sell Balogun in the summer when we had the chance and now he’s going for nothing.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

I'd have preferred to keep him but if game time was a motivating factor in his decision, he's not the calibre of striker of Auba or Laca at this point in his career.

Good luck to him, but it's only a matter of time before Martinelli gets moved more centrally here so I'm not too heartbroken about it.

 

[El Duderino]

 

[Macho]

Oh well, trust the process!

Whilst I largely agree with what you say, I don't think Arteta had much of a say about Balogun myself.

Perhaps could have started a couple more Europa matches? Would it have made a difference? Honestly probably no. Makes sense to not play him anymore either.

 

[roz]

He may have achieved more in terms of U21 football. But that means naff all in the grand scheme of things. Nketiah is an incredibly limited player and he's performed fairly poorly whenever called upon in the first team.

He isn't shockingly bad, he doesn't deserve abuse, he simply just isn't good enough for this level. He has no stand out attributes except movement, and in this day and age you need way more than that to make it in the premier league.

When you see Balogun you see an elite looking player in terms of physical traits, plus he seems to be a fantastic finisher off both feet.

When you see Eddie he's very limited, finishing has actually been very poor in his games before he was dropped, and he just doesn't have that aura about him.

What you on about you nutter. Balogun has mostly played reserve/youth football which makes your argument void regarding Balogun

Personally I’m not sure Nketiah will make it here but your criticism of him is way too harsh. Nketiah is the more accomplished/complete player at this moment in time. Its a shame to lose Balogun but really no one on AM knows his potential level. Ngl, hope he flops at RB.

 

[HairSprayGooners]

What you on about you nutter. Balogun has mostly played reserve/youth football which makes your argument void regarding Balogun

Personally I’m not sure Nketiah will make it here but your criticism of him is way too harsh. Nketiah is the more accomplished/complete player at this moment in time. Its a shame to lose Balogun but really no one on AM knows his potential level. Ngl, hope he flops at RB.

Nobody knows his potential level, but my point is Nketiah has had plenty of opportunities here and anyone with a brain can see he will simply not be good enough at the highest level. So then you give Balogun the chance to see if he can actually make it and perform better, he has the better qualities.

Nketiah is far from a complete player in any way shape or form, like I said before he has no stand out attributes, quite small in size, no real blistering pace, quite up and down finishing with Arsenal, not great at dribbling or passing... There's a reason why he's been completely dropped now.

 

[SingmeasongSong]

Yeah Haaland should definitely be the priority.

Strong agree.

We sadly missed our chances with many players that are now elite, and it looks like Grealish is just another name that had his final chance with us in the summer.

I just dont wanna say all big exciting names are impossible because it so massively depends on how the rest of the season pens out.
Most likely, it will not be a much better season than last year, but if we pull off a massive, crazy winning streak and finish top 4 or make it via a EL win, Grealish might be back on, if everyone is busy with other names.
But in the end, just as it was with Mbappe, one thinks we missed the generational talent and there's nothing on the horizon, and then a few other cyborgs like Haaland come out of the blue.

It'll happen again, we just need to be pro-active the next time around

 

[Maybe]

So then you give Balogun the chance to see if he can actually make it and perform better, he has the better qualities.

But the problem was for a long time that Balogun didn't want to sign the contract, and because of that. there shouldn't be any issues with Nketiah getting minutes instead of him

 

[DanDare]

This all seems salvageable if we want it to be and his agent is leaking increasingly scary stories to get a better contract

Question is do we want him enough to bend?

 

[HairSprayGooners]

But the problem was for a long time that Balogun didn't want to sign the contract, and because of that. there shouldn't be any issues with Nketiah getting minutes instead of him

Was it? Arteta has said multiple times that Balogun wants to stay and that its the agent who is messing things up.

 

[Sebastes]

Just saw on Reddit (and remember seeing it somewhere else for another transfer) that an U23 player can’t sign a pre-contract.

Yeah, I think this is the case. He can’t sign a contract with anyone other than Arsenal before July

 

[neimad]

Still holding out hope this is an agent trying to get a better contract deal for his client.

Nketiah is no bum so I don't think he deserves the hate. He's the under 21 England record holder ffs. You don't get that record and not become a Premier League legend.

P.S. - Legend on the right here

 

[Toby]

What I'm hearing still pretty open where he ends up. The links are all legit but apparently his situation/destination is changing "every 5 minutes".