Arsenal: How Eddie Nketiah & Balogun decision can work

Mikel Arteta did state pre-game that he had intended to field a strong Arsenal lineup for the visit of League One AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup third round. He wasn’t lying.

While there were still ten changes from the team that beat Burnley 1-0, there were no spaces in the squad for any young talents hoping to make their debuts with the 18-man group entirely made up from first team players.

It’s never been a case of heavy cup rotation for the manager. While he does make changes, he has nonetheless shies away from the academy injection that became commonplace under Arsene Wenger’s reign. Without European football this season, the minutes need to be shared out.

But to whom should those minutes be given?

There is only one way Eddie Nketiah playing over Folarin Balogun for Arsenal can work and it comes with risks

You’d imagine it would be among those who will have a part to play this season and therefore have to be kept fresh for when called upon, as well as those whose futures are tied to the club. Thus, seeing Eddie Nketiah selected ahead of Folarin Balogun was one of the more eye-catching decisions.

Handing Balogun a long-term contract and barely using Nketiah at the tail end of last season signalled the club’s intentions that one was deemed the future and one was considered expendable.

Not loaning Balogun out when it became clear that Alexandre Lacazette would be staying to see out his contract (Nketiah being sold or not notwithstanding) was a mistake. It remains a mistake. It’s been heavily discussed.

One of the reasons for that is the volume of strikers on the books was in imbalance with the amount of minutes available to share: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would lead the line in the Premier League with the FA Cup and Carabao Cup left for three to battle it out for.

The question is whether it should be a battle at all.

Two of those three will be at the club for an absolute maximum of nine months while the other has committed his long-term future to the club after it was decided he could be part of the long-term future.

Balogun has been with the Under-23 side in recent weeks, scoring for fun, but could only manage seven minutes as he replaced the guy who rejected the offer of a new long-term deal. Nketiah was absolutely right to turn that deal down, but it rubber stamps who is the future and who isn’t.

There is only one way playing Nketiah ahead of Balogun can only work out.

Continued…