Who is the leading scorer in Ligue 1? Who else but Arsenal’s own Folarin Balogun, who has 14 goals in 21 games for Stade Reims? There is no denying that the Arsenal man is exceptional, in a league with Kylian Mbappe, Jonathan David, Lionel Messi, and Neymar.
Balogun’s future is slowly becoming a point of contention among Arsenal fans, much like William Saliba’s was last season when he was impressing on loan at Marseille. Some believe the 21-year-old should be included in Arteta’s squad next season, while others, such as Samuel Bannister, of Teamtalk, who claims Arsenal could sell him.
“If Arsenal still see Jesus and Nketiah as their long-term strikers, they have supposedly acknowledged that they might have to cash in on Balogun at the end of this season instead,” writes Bannister.
Many may look at calls to cash in on Balogun and ask themselves, “Why lose all that potential?” Is it wrong to believe that Mikel Arteta’s strike force is in safe hands with Eddie Nketiah, who has eight goals in 10 starts, and Gabriel Jesus, whose arrival last summer transformed Arsenal’s attack?
In any case, Ligue 1 is not comparable to the Premier League. Balogun is a very good player, but he is not yet on the same level as Gabriel Jesus or Eddie Nketiah. So far, the suggested options have been another loan spell and integrating him into the squad next season, but I’d agree if he were sold on a permanent basis and Arteta reinvested funds from his sale. His chances of surviving as Arsenal’s first-choice are extremely slim, so why not cash in for an easy £50m?
Daniel O
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