Why Eddie Nketiah’s red card could be a blessing in disguise for Folarin Balogun, Arsenal’s Nigerian-born forward
By Toju Sote
Youngster Eddie Nketiah was shown a red card in Arsenal’s game against Leicester City for a rash tackle on James Justice just four minutes after he came on.
However Arsenal may not really miss services of Nketiah as Nigerian-born Folarin Balogun from the youth ranks is waiting in the wings to seize that opportunity to stake a claim for a spot in the first team.
Balogun plays for the Arsenal U-21 team and has scored 10 goals and 4 assists this season in Premier League 2. Last season, he scored 28 goals while also providing 5 assists for his teammates.
If he gets called up to the first team, Folarin Balogun would be hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow Nigerian-born Chuba Akpom, Alex Iwobi and Bukayo Saka who have enjoyed massive successes in and outside the club.
Folarin Balogun is eligible to play for England and the USA while there’s still a future for him with the Super Eagles should he decide to pledge allegiance to his fatherland.
