Jonathan Johnson has written in his exclusive CaughtOffside column about Folarin Balogun’s future at Arsenal following his hugely successful loan stint with Ligue 1 side Reims.
Balogun previously spent time on loan at Middlesbrough but didn’t make much of an impression, though he’s now on fire in France as he sits joint-top scorer in Ligue 1 on 15 goals, alongside Kylian Mbappe and Jonathan David.
Arsenal fans will no doubt be hoping Balogun can break into the first-team next season, but Johnson now says there is, unsurprisingly, growing interest in the 21-year-old.
Some unnamed Premier League clubs are monitoring Balogun closely, it would seem, but Johnson expects Mikel Arteta will also have a look at the player this summer before deciding what to do with him next, whether that’s another loan or perhaps even a permanent transfer away as he faces so much competition for a place in this AFC starting line up.
“With the Premier League clubs looking at Balogun at the moment, my understanding is it’s clubs outside of the top six, but who are pushing to break into the top six,” Johnson said. “Those clubs interested are looking at the current attacking options that Mikel Arteta has available to him such as Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, which might suggest there’s an opportunity there.
“Reims have also expressed an interest in keeping him on as he’s doing extremely well under Will Still, but it could be that, financially, the deal is out of reach for Reims, so that could leave the player with a decision to make this summer, whether to go and fight for his place in the Arsenal team or whether to go somewhere else if someone tries to acquire him.
“I know for a fact that, with some of the Premier League clubs who’ve been looking at Balogun, there have been questions asked about the level he’s playing at in Ligue 1, which I think is part and parcel of how the Premier League views itself. I don’t believe he’s playing at an inferior level, so his numbers shouldn’t be discarded.
“He’s been very impressive, and I think a number of clubs in, say, the Bundesliga will be very interested in him. You look at players like Randal Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea, and they’re in that kind of mould, so I think there’ll be a lot of interest in him this summer. Arsenal, being the parent club, will have a significant say over his future, but I think he’s one to watch.
“I think, given the way Arteta tends to handle the loanees at Arsenal, he’ll at least want to have a close look at Balogun before making a decision on him in the summer.”