Not so long ago it looked at Arsenal FC as if the contract extension with youngster Folarin Balogun was only a matter of form. “He wants to stay, we want him to stay”, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta had forecast just under a month ago. But now the situation seems to have changed.
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According to information from The Athletic journalist David Ornstein, the two parties have now increasingly distanced themselves from each other. It therefore seems that Balogun will leave the Gunners in the summer for free “Increasingly likely”. The talks have not yet come to a complete standstill, but the New York-born Englishman is currently said to prefer a change.
Stuttgart was already showing interest
Although Balogun is also on the list of top English clubs like Liverpool, the report says the most interesting option for him is to move to Germany. The name Balogun was already associated with several Bundesliga clubs in the summer, and VfB Stuttgart in particular is said to have put out feelers.
Especially if Nicolás González should leave the Swabians after the season, the young Arsenal striker could come back into focus. There is already a loose connection to Stuttgart: VfB sports director Sven Mislintat, who was head of the scouting department at Arsenal FC between 2017 and 2019, knows Balogun very well.
In the past few years, VfB has been hiring more and more young, developable players with prospects. This transfer philosophy gave the Stuttgarters promotion to the Bundesliga in the past season, and they are currently in an excellent seventh place in the table. One thing is clear: the only 19-year-old Balogun would certainly fit perfectly into the Swabian requirement profile with his systems.
Waiting for the breakthrough
So far, Balogun has not really been able to gain a foothold in the professional Gunners team. Although he already indicated his class in the Europa League in four short appearances with two goals and one template, the young Englishman has not even been in the squad in the league. Instead, the center forward was mostly used for the North London U23s.
The faltering development at the Gunners can certainly be seen as one of the reasons why Balogun is seriously considering an exit. Despite the Gunners’ major offensive problems recently, the 1.79 meter right foot was apparently not an option for coach Arteta. The breakthrough in the professional field, which Balogun has so far been denied, could be easier for him in the Bundesliga.
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