Arsenal: £35m striker’s actions suggest Mikel Arteta will sell him
By Kian Long
Arsenal are currently on their pre-season tour and while pre-season is mostly about having fun and keeping fitness levels, there have been some lessons learned by Mikel Arteta about the upcoming season. One of the standout lessons is that Folarin Balogun is not the kind of striker Arteta wants to lead the line next season.
Balogun has been given some chances to impress in pre-season, after his successful loan spell in Ligue 1 next season. Given the poor performances he has put in, I cannot see Arteta trying his hardest to keep the USMNT striker.
Given that Inter Milan are preparing a £35m bid to sign Balogun, Mikel Arteta’s recent actions indicate that he would be more inclined to sell the striker.
Folarin Balogun trains away from the Arsenal squad in pre-season
According to the Daily Mail, Folarin Balogun has been training alone during the squad’s pre-season tour in the USA. This suggests that either he doesn’t get along with the squad, or he has been asked to train separately while his future looks to be elsewhere.
🚨 Folarin Balogun trained separately from the Arsenal squad during Monday’s session in Los Angeles. Balogun was working with an individual coach rather than going through the more intense work with Mikel Arteta on the pitch. [@TheAthleticFC] #afc pic.twitter.com/6QUg7tThXa
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 25, 2023
It does make sense. There’s no doubt that Balogun is a great striker, this was proven last season. He just doesn’t fit what Arteta wants in a striker and therefore, he is not likely to get minutes next season.
At his age of 22 years old, Balogun understandably wants to play for a club where he is the number one choice striker. Unfortunately for him, that club is not Arsenal since they would prefer to play Gabriel Jesus, especially in the high calibre fixtures.