- 16 hours ago
Arteta blames Balogun’s agent for delay in contract negotiations
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 19 May 2021 13:39 BST
- 2 min read
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has accused the agent of 19-year-old Folarin Balogun of holding up a potential contract renewal for the striker at the Emirates.
Balogun is out of contract in the summer, and reports have suggested he is currently in talks with several European clubs over a pre-contract agreement.
Arteta has made no secret about his desire to keep hold of the young talent, but a lack of first-team opportunities have discouraged Balogun from renewing his current Gunners deal.
The Arsenal boss, however, has suggested that it’s the fault of Balogun’s agent, rather than the club, that an agreement hasn’t been made.
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“Well, you need three parties to make a deal,” said the Arsenal manager. “For sure the club want to make a deal, the manager wants to make a deal, and I’m not sure about the agent.”
Just last month, following Balogun’s goal against Dundalk in the Europa League, Arteta claimed “we want him to stay, he said to me he wants to stay at the club, so hopefully we can reach an agreement and extend his contract.”
Whether or not Balogun does remain at the club, It’s no surprise that Arteta is keen to retain him; he’s bagged four goals and two assists in 10 games for the U23s this season, as well as two goals and one assist in just 61 minutes of Europa League action.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang recently claimed Balogun was a huge “talent”, and with praise coming from both the star striker, and the manager, it’s clear that Arsenal want Balogun to stay; the question is, does he want to stay?
