Following a successful loan spell at Stade De Reims, Folarin Balogun made it clear that he wasn’t going to move out on loan, giving Arsenal an ultimatum to either play him consistently or sell him, which was really ballsy if you ask me.
Arsenal chose the latter and actively sought to ship him out this summer and as expected, there were suitors. Inter’s bid was really weak, AS Monaco tried as well, and their offer was rejected. There were also enquiries from Tottenham and Chelsea but with the window closing soon, Arsenal accepted a €40 million bid for Balogun, he completed his medical in the South of France, and has been officially unveiled as a Monaco player.
There has been some disappointment around the value of the sale, as Balogun as a hot asset that should have commanded a £50 million fee at the very least, but let’s put this in perspective – just two seasons ago, Balogun almost left Arsenal on a Bosman but he was convinced to sign a contract extension. Fast forward to two years after loan spells in Middlesbrough and Stade De Reims, Arsenal is selling the asset for €40 million and it has also been reported that a 17.5 percent sell-on clause has been inserted, which will see Arsenal make some good mulla when Balogun makes his next move from Monaco.
Balogun was further down the pecking order at Arsenal with the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah, Kai Havertz and even Leandro Trossard all ahead of him, so his chances of featuring for Arsenal this season were slim to none.
It’s also worth noting that with Balogun’s sale to Monaco, Arsenal has now garnered £75 million in player sales when you add the departures of Granit Xhaka, Pablo Mari, Auston Trusty, Kieran Tierney and Matt Turner. There are more potential sales imminent, with Nuno Tavares set to join Nottingham Forest, Rob Holding garnering interested from Mallorca and Sevilla, then there is Nicolas Pepe and Cedric Soares.
With the transfer window coming to an end soon, Arsenal will still be focused on some more departures.
Au Revoir, Folarin Balogun.
Sayonara
