What should Arsenal do with Folarin Balogun this summer?

Arsenal academy graduate Folarin Balogun is currently the top scorer of Ligue 1 with 14 goals, ahead of the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Neymar, and of course, Alexandre Lacazette, who is in joint-second with 13 goals this season.

The 21-year-old striker is on an absolute tear which has many Arsenal fans wondering what should the club do with him. With both Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah signing new contracts last summer, they’re both set to be at the club for a while. Balogun’s current deal runs until 2025. When he returns to London, the club will have a decision to make with the striker.

If he is sold this summer, the club can sell when his value is at its highest. If they have a plan for him in the future, they could try to tie him down to another contract. Perhaps another loan is on the table, who knows?

It’s tough to have three strikers at once who all need to play – just ask Eddie Nketiah last season when he was behind Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the pecking order. Keeping Balogun around as a third striker doesn’t make sense for either party, as Balogun isn’t going to get the game time he needs, and the club won’t use their young star enough. This leads to the most likely option: a permanent sale. This, honestly, is the best choice. As disappointing as it would be to sell an academy graduate, it would be the best choice for Balogun at this point in his career. Keeping him at the club creates a scenario in which not all three of Balogun, Nketiah, and Jesus could be happy.

What should Arsenal do with Folarin Balogun this summer?

So the best decision will likely be to sell him, perhaps to Arsenal’s detriment given the kid’s talent.

If the club does choose to do this, they need to make sure they cover their basis via a buyback clause or a clause of first refusal like Chelsea and Real Madrid did in the respective Tammy Abraham and Martin Ødegaard deals. Clauses like this will give the club power to bring him back potentially in the future.

The second question is the fee, which should be very high. He is a 21-year-old that will be one of the highest-scoring players in a top 5 league; he will not go for cheap. Transfermarkt.com has him worth only €14m; he’s worth far more. Eintracht Frankfurt, according to reports, want €100m for Randal Kolo Muani.

He has only four more career Bundesliga goals than Balogun has this season in a more challenging league; that alone raises Balogun’s price tag. He also is two years older than Balogun, again raising the floor of which Arsenal can comfortably ask for him. Based on the current market, his form, age, contract, and other clubs’ needs, Arsenal should not get less than £70m for Balogun.

When a player is doing this well, it’s easy for fans to want him to come back and succeed with the club. Unfortunately, this seems a lot more similar to the Joe Willock situation than the William Saliba one. Fans also need to remember that just because he’s doing well in France doesn’t necessarily mean he can do it for sure in England, so his success shouldn’t minimise what Jesus and Nketiah have accomplished this season. I love Balogun and hope that whatever happens, he can succeed in his career (and choose the United States).