Monaco instead of Chelsea - but why were Arsenal determined to sell Folarin Balogun?
Amid all the money that is being thrown around the Premier League this summer, one of the biggest transfer stories that has yet to reach its conclusion involves one player that was apparently deemed not good enough for the English top-flight last season by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. That player is US striker Folarin Balogun, who has now joined Ligue 1 side Monaco.
Indeed, following on from a loan spell at Stade Reims last season in which he impressed numerous clubs around Europe, young striker Folarin Balogun has now been sold to Monaco in a deal worth an initial €30m plus €10m in add-ons. The initial deal alone makes Balogun the fourth most expensive signing in Monaco's history.
Why did Arsenal want to sell Balogun?
Having bagged no less than 22 goals and three assists in 39 games last season, Balogun was one of Ligue 1’s most impressive forward players. So why are Arsenal and Arteta so intent on moving on a player that could prove to be extremely useful to the club’s efforts to challenge for the Premier League title and progress in European competitions? There seem to be two main reasons.
The first is that despite Balogun’s success in France, he’s still not quite good enough. Last season saw Arsenal score 88 goals in the league campaign, which is the club’s best return in the English top-flight since 1964. Arteta has built a team of goal-scoring midfielders like Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, alongside hard-working forwards that are happy to drop deep, close down opposing defenders and essentially play outside the box, like Gabriel Jesus and now Kai Havertz. Balogun, who is much more of a classic No.9 and penalty-box striker, doesn’t really fit that system.
Which leads us on to the second reason. Even if Balogun was able to change his game, he’d have to accept a spot on the bench until he could prove himself against the likes of Jesus and Havertz. Reports in England suggest that the young striker would rather pick up more game time elsewhere rather than sit on the bench at Arsenal and that’s perhaps why the club are willing to sell Balogun buy keep a hold of Eddie Nketiah, who seems more suited to role of super-sub in Arteta’s team.
How did Monaco beat out Chelsea in the race to sign Balogun?
As such, Arsenal and Balogun are in the odd situation of a very good player simply not being the right kind of player for a very good team. And that’s where Monaco now comes into the picture. And, most notably, why Monaco may be willing to pay something close to Arsenal’s reported €58m asking price for the young striker.
Unlike Arsenal, Monaco's team and tactics remain in a constant state of flux due to the high turnover of players joining and leaving the club. Furthermore, The Athletic reported that the Ligue 1 side’s sporting director, Thiago Scuro, has a strong relationship with Arsenal's sporting director Edu. Still it is somewhat surprising that Monaco were able to beat out Chelsea, who were reportedly willing to meet Arsenal's €58m price tag for the player. Perhaps Arsenal were simply adamant that they didn't want to sell the player to direct competitor?
Highest transfer spending in a single season - Chelsea to break own record?
- Total Market Value:
- €928.30m
- Competition:
- Premier League
- Position:
- 11.
- Manager:
- Mauricio Pochettino
- Squad size:
- 30
- Latest Transfer:
- Alfie Gilchrist
- Total Market Value:
- €1.12bn
- Competition:
- Premier League
- Position:
- 1.
- Manager:
- Mikel Arteta
- Squad size:
- 25
- Latest Transfer:
- David Raya
- Total Market Value:
- €347.20m
- Competition:
- Ligue 1
- Position:
- 2.
- Manager:
- Adi Hütter
- Squad size:
- 24
- Latest Transfer:
- Thilo Kehrer
