Balogun’s Arsenal exit is due to the player wanting a clearer path to first team football

Arsenal’s exciting academy graduate Folarin Balogun wants to leave the football club because he feels that he has not been provided with a clear path to first team football according to David Ornstein of The Athletic. 

The 18 year old has one year remaining on his deal and does not look likely to sign a new contract with the Gunners. It is believed that there is definitely a disparity between what the club has offered him financially and what the player is looking for but this is not understood to be the motivating factor behind the striker wanting to move on to a fresh challenge. 

The North London club have a wealth of young talent who are competing for limited places in the team’s attack. Academy graduates like Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock have made more than a handful of appearances this season and seem to feature heavily in Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta’s long term vision for the club.

Gbriel Martinelli, who signed for the Gunners from Brazilian club Ituano in the summer, is also seen as a very important part of the Arsenal project.

Arteta has multiple options in attack and this has convinced Balogun that his future lies away from the Emirates. The club will look to sell the player in the summer as they do not want him to leave for free next year.