Folarin Balogun has decided not to play for England and instead represent the United States ahead of the World Cup in 2026 which will be hosted in North America. The decision comes ahead of what could be a pivotal summer for Balogun as his Arsenal future remains up in the air.
Balogun has spent the season on loan at Reims where he scored his 20th goal for the club in a 2-1 defeat to Lens last week. These goals have given him reason to push for regular football next season which at Arsenal is certainly not guarenteed.
Both Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus are ahead of him and there have been suggestions the Gunners could still look to invest in another forward in the summer. Leandro Trossard has also been utilised at centre-forward successfully too and presents as yet another obstacle for the now former England youth international.
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Mikel Arteta was very praising of the forward when asked about him in February. The Arsenal manager made it sound as if the striker certainly still had a future at the club.
"The plan is that he finishes his period there, assess the situation where he is, where we are, then sit down and plan the next chapter in his developing career," the Spaniard said.
"[I am] so happy for him," Arteta added. "He's a boy with a really clear idea of what he wants to do in his career, really ambitious, really committed and he's really brave. We discussed before whether it was the right place to go and other choices that he had. He was so convinced and I'm really happy for him because he deserves what he's getting.
"He's got something special. That's why we gave him a long-term contract and have faith in him, and give him the long period that he's having now because the period he's having now is different to the one before at Middlesbrough."
With this switch, it makes sense for Balogun to be playing regularly so that he can convince USMNT boss Anthony Hudson that he is worthy of the starting spot. The next squad will be called up for June and July CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup matches against Mexico, Jamaica, and Nicaragua.
From an Arsenal perspective, should he perform well before his return to the club in the summer it will only raise his profile and subsequently his potential sale value in the market. Sporting director Edu Gaspar is looking to improve the club’s capacity to spend in the summer with an improvement in player sales.
Balogun is drawing interest from a number of top clubs and after a 20+ goal season in France, they are more than within their rights to demand a good fee. Alternatively, and seemingly the less likely outcome, Arteta could look to convince Balogun to stay and fight for a place in the squad for next season.
The Gunners’ interests lie primarily in the midfield and defence and keeping Balogun could save them a bigger investment on a forward and keep a talented homegrown player. Ultimately though, just like his international allegiance, the decision will fall to him to decide his future.
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