3 reasons why Arsenal should choose Folarin Balogun over Eddie Nketiah

Striker Folarin Balogun returns to Arsenal after a fruitful spell in France with Reims, but is he deserving of usurping Eddie Nketiah?

After scoring 21 league goals (22 in all competitions) for Ligue 1 side Reims, Balogun returns to Arsenal a changed player.

With reports of the club willing to part ways with the American star for a reported £35m this summer, Arsenal has a decision to make with its forward group.

Gabriel Jesus is the main star, but then we have Nketiah and Balogun battling it out for playing time in the squad.

https://twitter.com/ArsenalBuzzCom/status/1671429843051839489?s=20

For some, Nketiah deserves to get a chance again next season, but Balogun’s stats and performances last year can’t go by the wayside.

3 reasons why Arsenal should choose Folarin Balogun over Eddie Nketiah

Here are three reasons why Arsenal should keep Balogun and go forward with the USA star instead of Nketiah.

1. Production

Balogun’s season for Reims speaks for itself. He started 39 games in all competitions (34 league games) and produced 22 goals and three assists.

He has come of age during his loan spell and now returns to north London as a vastly different player.

https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1670609408957505538?s=20

Conversely, Nketiah, last season, played the same amount of games as Balogun but only started nine. He found the back of the net nine times and grabbed three assists.

If we base this purely on stats, then Balogun wins this by a mile. Nketiah did what he needed to last season, but Balogun’s production while starting can’t be ignored.

Continued on the next slide…