Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun will give Mikel Arteta a headache in the summer as he is reportedly opposed to a third loan switch, and wants to continue playing as a first-choice striker.
Balogun’s returns over the past few seasons have been fantastic. The Gunners academy product scored a combined total of 32 goals in his last three Premier League 2 campaigns.
He had a decent spell at Championship side Middlesbrough last season, scoring and assisting three times each in 18 games.
Now, he’s one of the most in-form strikers in Europe, having scored 18 goals in 29 Ligue 1 games for Reims – one goal behind Kylian Mbappe and Jonathan David in joint-top spot in the league.
Balogun’s aims for next season are set to give Arteta a headache at Arsenal. Indeed, a report from The Athletic suggests he ‘wants to continue operating as a first-choice striker and would like nothing more than to do so with Arsenal’.
However, with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah at the club – having scored 17 goals between them this season – it’ll be hard to force his way into the first team on a regular basis.
Arteta might consider shipping him out on loan again, as recent reports have suggested. That won’t be to Balogun’s liking, though, with the report stating he is ‘opposed to the idea of a third temporary switch’.
It’s little wonder why that is, given he’s shown he can impact a top-flight side. Should this situation not come to a fitting conclusion, it looks the most likely course of action is the forward leaving the Emirates permanently.
Indeed, The Athletic report he ‘does not plan to extend’ his contract, which runs out in two years’ time. Arteta, then, has been given an ultimatum – play Balogun or risk losing him for good.
He won’t be without suitors, either. AC Milan, Inter Milan, Monaco and RB Leipzig are all mentioned in the report as sides with an interest in the striker, that can ‘offer a starting berth’.
With only two years left on Balogun’s deal, and considering the form he is in, were the Gunners to sell, now seems the right time.
They’re in a tough situation in that he could impact the side, but Jesus and Nketiah have done so this season, so are unlikely to see their roles change.
Should Balogun sit on the bench for a season, that could force him out the door.
READ MORE: Carragher performs U-turn over Arsenal star as he admits he’s ‘never been more wrong’
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football365…