Last week a little bit of news completely missed me by.
Folarin Balogun changed his international allegiances from English to American.
Now on the face of it, New York born Balogun has merely opted to play for the country of his birth. But it also follows a trend of Balogun looking for change rather than rising to a challenge.
Firstly, is he really American?
Just because you a born in a stable, it does not make you a horse. Balogun was born in America to Nigerian parents and moved to the UK at just 2-years old. He is no more American than Erling Haaland is English.
Faced with Harry Kane, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins, Calum Wilson and others, Balogun would have had to battle to play for England. Instead, he has bottled the challenge.
Opting to play for America was the easy option. He walks into their first team. Gauranteed game time without having to continue pushing himself, continue improving. And it follows a trend for the on-loan Arsenal striker.
In April, Balogun reportedly made it clear that he was not willing to return to Arsenal to fight for a first team place. That he wanted regular first team football or be allowed to leave.
At the time, I praised the decision. He could have easily just sat out his contract, gone on loan across Europe, and have an easy career. It highlighted that he wanted to play regular football – something which Chelsea’s army of loanees show no ambition for.
But with the US news, it perhaps shows a sign that Balogun is a player that wants to take the easy option to the first team.
He would rather play for a lesser team (and country), then compete to start for a top team (and country). And that is a worrying sign.
What sets top players apart is their drive, their ambition. Even when at the time, they strive to be better. They do not reach a level, believe that they have made it, and take their foot off the pedal.
By choosing America, and looking for a move away from Arsenal, Balogun seems to think that first team football should be given rather than earned. He does not want to work hard to play for Arsenal and England. He would prefer to not put as much effort in and start regularly for America and (for example) West Ham.
It is also interesting to see that he has chosen the USA rather than Nigeria.
With Nigerian-born parents, you would think he would be proud of his motherland. Many British-born Nigerians (and British-born Africans in general) are very proud of their heritigate. Where they came from.
But not Balogun.
Balogun has opted for a country that he probably can not remember living in rather than the country of his parents. Why could that be?
Was it because Nigeria have the likes of Victor Osimhen and Kelechi Iheanacho upfront. As well as lesser players such as Emmanuel Dennis.
Meanwhile, the options for the US Men’s National Team are Jordan Morris, Jesús Ferreira, Cade Cowell and Brandon Vazquez. “Who?” would be the right question.
It is very clear that Balogun’s decision to play for a country that he has very little association with is based on him thinking he would get the more caps for them, rather than his affinity to them.
To take Arsenal to the next level, Mikel Arteta and Edu need to be buying players that want to challenge themselves. That think they can make the step up. Similar mentality to Aaron Ramsdale. To Ben White. And so on.
Balogun is not like Gabriel Jesus or Olexsandr Zinchenko. Mid-20s players who played at a top club and then becamse frustrated at the lack of game time. He is just 21-years-old, having his first full season in senior football.
What we do not need is a 21-year-old who has opted twice in his young career to take the easy option. A player who has shy’d away from the challenge of competing with top players for game time.
We now need to maximise the sale value of Balogun. Move him on. And then sign someone who has the ambition and drive to compete with Gabriel Jesus as a regular starter for Arsenal.
Balogun is showing he does not have the heart to rise to a challenge.
Keenos
