Arsenal hopes of Folarin Balogun extension suffer fatal blow amid clearout

A saga that has rumbled on for longer than ever anticipated and ever should have been allowed to, Folarin Balogun’s future at Arsenal looks to have been finalised.

The striker has been continuously featuring in the headlines for the past 12 months, as club and player have been locked in contract negotiations with no solution yet found extend his time in north London.

Folarin Balogun‘s deal expires at the end of the season, meaning he has been free to speak to clubs across Europe since January. If he finds the right suitor he can strike a pre-contract agreement, with talks having been ongoing since the beginning of the year.

Parallel to that has been Arsenal pushing to keep the 19-year-old. Issues have arisen regarding Balogun’s supposed path to the first team, with the fear being from his camp that if he does pen fresh terms he will not be granted the playing time he believes someone of his quality warrants.

Mikel Arteta has regularly spoken in public about his confidence in an amicable solution being met, even as recently as the week before Burnley stating that they’re edging closer to an agreement.

Arsenal hopes of Folarin Balogun contract extension suffer fatal blow amid clearout of Under-23 squad

"“I think I am pretty positive about it and every time I spoke to him, he mentions the same thing, that he’s determined to stay here and he wants to stay here,” Arteta said. “He has some really positive conversations with his agent as well and Edu is in charge of that. “He’s been spending a lot of time and energy to make that deal happen because it’s important for us to keep our talent in the house, and what we can guarantee is that we’re doing everything we can to keep him.”"

Yet to make a senior start for the Gunners, Balogun has nonetheless made a huge impression during his dabbles in the Europa League this season, averaging a goal every 31 minutes on top of netting seven in 14 Premier League 2 outings.

As the positivity began to grow internally, there has been a fatal blow in discussions.

Folarin Balogun set to Leave Arsenal in the Summer

Indeed, football.london reveal that no agreement has found between the parties and it now looks certain that Balogun will leave the club in the summer.

Unsurprisingly, the striker is inundated with offers from the UK and in Europe, a measure of his talent that Arsenal fans have only briefly been able to witness in senior football.

Arteta’s repeated assurances of a happy ending raised hopes given his track record of ‘confidence’ in other player contracts, yet on this occasion the influence of agents has made talks near impossible. As per Le Grove, Balogun’s camp were demanding £40k-per-week from the Gunners – more than Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka earn.

Discussions have not only hit an impasse, but been brought to a crashing halt entirely. While not in rigor mortis just yet, it’d require some miraculous resuscitation.

The departure will be followed by other Under-23 stars who’ve not made the cut: Ben Sheaf, Arthur Okonkwo, Joseph Olowu and Kido Taylor-Hart are also heading for summer exits.

It’s the Balogun situation which is the biggest shame of all. Undoubtedly bursting with ability and, despite what the noises say, has a clear path to the senior side with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah both up for sale at the end of the season and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to have two years left come that time, it’s an ugly scenario.

Balogun is putting his career first and deciding what he feels is best for his development, whether that’s a move to Germany or elsewhere. So be it. Whatever the wish of the player is, it must be respected, despite some of his off-field antics working against him.

If he’s gone, then turn the page. There is no point in Arsenal expending energy and time on a foregone conclusion when there is an obscene amount of work to be done elsewhere.

Disappointing it has come to this? Absolutely, but there is no point crying over milk that’s in the process of being spilled. Just move on.