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…

Playing Nketiah Only Works if He’s Sold in the January Window

Speaking after the match both Lacazette and Arteta spoke highly of Nketiah, expressing their delight for him to score a goal amid the speculation of his future. The pair, and the rest of the team in celebration of his superb goal, looked ecstatic.

"“I think Eddie gives us a lesson every day in his professional should live in this job,” he said. “There’s been a lot of speculation around him, a lot of debate but he’s got his head down and trained harder than anyone else, he looks after himself and he supports all his team-mates in any circumstance. “So I am so happy for him, and it’s no coincidence that he’s able to perform at that level and physically how he manages the game, because he trains the best every day, so I am delighted for him.”"

A good outing for Nketiah follows on from what was a very decent pre-season. He looked like one of the sharper players in the team all throughout those fixtures and despite the ongoing rumours and uncertainty, he’s got his head down and worked hard. As the manager confirmed.

Still, he isn’t staying beyond this season. So why not Balogun? Would it really have changed the outcome of the game?

The decision to field him ahead of his teammate makes sense if he is going to be sold in January. That’s the only reason. If a decent enough fee can be claimed in the winter window then that suits, as Lacazette and Balogun can be the options while Aubameyang is away at AFCON. It’s something Arsenal will surely be looking at.

Will much actually change in regards to his value by playing him, though? By January he’ll potentially have two more EFL Cup matches to play. No more than that since he won’t get a sniff in the Premier League. And, not to mention, he can sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in January while as a free agent he’ll be able to negotiate much higher wages.

Crystal Palace made an offer in the summer only for the move to break down over personal terms. Nketiah’s agent, one as seen with Balogun is notoriously tough to work with, will have played a part and holding out until June despite the limited minutes might be seen as the more elusive option.

The situation has been poorly handled from whichever side it’s viewed from; Balogun should be playing against men in senior football, not Phil Jones; Nketiah is going to leave for nothing or next to nothing and should also be playing regularly at a key stage of his career; and now the player with no future in north London is playing ahead of the one with a future.

Balogun has plenty of years ahead him, but he’s 20 years old now. Miguel Azeez has just turned 19 and is playing League One football. It’s great to see Nketiah playing, and playing well, but he should only be starting EFL Cup matches against League One sides if there is certainty of him these minute boosting his value and him being sold in January. There is no guarantee of that.