Arsenal: 6 players fighting for their places in the team

3. Folarin Balogun

Only deemed worthy enough for a spot on the bench in the AFC Wimbledon game behind Nketiah and Lacazette, Balogun may feel hard done by depending on what the conversations were between him, Arteta and Edu prior to him signing his long-term deal.

With him and Nketiah not in the first team reckoning at present with Lacazette the bench option after Aubameyang for Premier League fixtures, Balogun’s time will be limited at the very best. Especially since Arteta has made it clear he is eyeing silverware this term with strong squads in the cup competitions.

Yet the same applies for Nketiah as it does for Balogun: who is going to be the new ‘second choice’ once Aubameyang jets off for AFCON? Granted, it may very well be that the captain is barely gone before he’s back depending on how Gabon fare in which case it may only be for a handful of outings.

When the next cup match comes around Balogun won’t be content with another bench role. It may have already been discussed internally that another season of Under-23 football is best for him prior to him taking up the spaces vacated by Nketiah and Lacazette next season, but he will still want to be starting those sorts of matches.

The EFL Cup team looks set to remain strong with Arsenal reaching the fourth round. Balogun won’t be content with that and he is certainly vying for inclusion there, in the eventual FA Cup ties and potentially even as the bench option in January. It’s worth mentioning Nketiah wasn’t great against the Dons, despite his goal.

Continued…