Balogun has emerged as a loan target for Swansea City in January (Getty Images)
Folarin Balogun is an 18-year-old striker who is regarded as one of the most highly-rated youngsters at Arsenal. Balogun has led the way for the Under-23s this season, having scored 10 goals in 15 appearances.
Balogun had signed his first professional deal for Arsenal in February 2019, but the contract will expire in the summer of 2021. The Arsenal wonderkid, according to The Sun, is set to leave the club for newer endeavours.
As the club builds to a brighter future under Mikel Arteta, the club needs to go back and secure deals for players in their academy. If one sees, wonderkids like Serge Gnabry, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and others in recent times have left the club but have grown in stature in the last few seasons.
Arsenal were once known to be a team to nurture talent and use them in the first-team, with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs becoming Gunners regulars at some point in time. But over time, it was somewhere lost, as players were being let go for some reason.
Serge Gnabry is enjoying the time of his life with an impressive season at Bayern Munich while Ismael Bennacer is starting regularly at AC Milan. Jeff Reine-Adelaide has become a part of Ligue 1 giants Lyon while Isaac Hayden has gone on to make over 100 appearances for Newcastle.
The striker is very highly rated and is just 18. He has scored goals after goals for the Arsenal U18 and U23 teams. Arsenal right now need to hold onto their talent and give them more opportunities so that they do not fall into a situation wherein they lose talented youngsters to other clubs.
Folarin Balogun’s performances for the Under-23’s is reason enough for Arsenal to push hard and tie him down to a new deal. Given the pandemic situation, it is better for Arsenal and the manager to tie down players for the long run.
Balogun has put up great displays and Arsenal need to tie down the player. In order to do so, they may have to make the player feel that he can progress at a quicker rate by being at the Emirates than going elsewhere.
Balogun is arguably among the best strikers that the academy has seen this season or in recent times. If they do not sign him on, it would be a talent lost for the Gunners.
