Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun has refused to commit his future to the club in a recent interview.
Balogun was sent out on loan to Middlesbrough last season in order to gain some valuable first-team experience. The 20-year-old only signed a new long-term deal in April last year, but he hasn’t ruled out potentially leaving Arsenal in the near future.
When I get back to Arsenal I will like to sit down with the manager and see what he thinks and we will decide what is best. I know that everyone will like to know what I will do next but I would like to speak to him first and we can come to a conclusion,” said Balogun, speaking to talkSPORT (via The Sun).
Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed to CaughtOffside that Gabriel Jesus was a priority target for Arsenal this summer, so it’s clear to see Mikel Arteta is keen to bring in another striker in the upcoming window.
Signing a player of Jesus’ calibre could make it difficult for Balogun to find a clear pathway to the first team, especially with Eddie Nketiah knocking at the door.
Balogun will likely want to receive reassurances from Arteta in the summer that he will get an opportunity at the club, or he could be heading out the door in the summer transfer window.
Balogun looks likely to be the next Donyell Malen, maybe good enough, but not given a shot until it was too late. He would be better off pulling a Malen/Gnabry and moving over seas, scoring a lot of goals in an easier league, and returning to the PL a star or making himself a nice living elsewhere rather than risk two more years of oblivion with Arsenal.