ESPN pundit doesn’t know why Mikel Arteta isn’t playing 22-year-old Arsenal player this year

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ESPN pundit Shaka Hislop has admitted he’s not sure why Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta isn’t playing young striker Folarin Balogun.

Hislop was speaking on ESPN FC’s YouTube channel about the 22-year-old forward.

The centre-forward position has been widely discussed at Arsenal this summer.

Gabriel Jesus hit the ground running when he joined from Manchester City last year but maybe hasn’t been as prolific in front of goal as he would have liked.

He’s also now suffered two injuries since joining the club that have halted his momentum and has been unavailable this season after having knee surgery.

Mikel Arteta has turned to Eddie Nketiah to fill the void left by the Brazilian and is already off the mark in the Premier League.

Hislop has questioned why Arteta hasn’t been playing Folarin Balogun this season after his brilliant campaign in France.

The 22-year-old hasn’t even been in a matchday squad yet with speculation growing over his future at the Emirates.

He’s not keen on sitting on the bench or heading out on loan again this season.

Not playing him in Jesus’s absence could be a missed opportunity to see if he really is good enough to play for Arsenal now.

Hislop not sure why Arteta isn’t playing Balogun

Asked why Arsenal haven’t seen more of Balogun in the Premier League, Hislop said: “I’m not sure. I think maybe [Folarin] Balogun just thinks that he wants to come in and be an automatic starter.

“And kind of given his record in Ligue 1 last season you sympathise with that.

“If I were a striker and I think Balogun was third or fourth in the Ligue 1 goalscoring and that’s behind the likes of Kylian Mbappe and there’s this other interest from clubs around Europe, you understand, I want to start.

“While yes I think Eddie Nketiah had a couple of chances he really should have done better with on the weekend, I’m not sure that Balogun just comes in and is guaranteed that starting spot.

“And then when Gabriel Jesus comes in, I’m not sure that Balogun keeps hold of that starting spot even if he somehow wins it over from Eddie Nketiah.”

Arteta won’t have any interest in playing Balogun if he doesn’t have a future at the club.

Initial talks have reportedly been held with another Premier League side over a potential transfer this summer.

Arteta is a huge fan of Nketiah and it was always unlikely that Balogun would leapfrog the 24-year-old in the pecking order.

That may have been the final nail in the coffin of Balogun’s Arsenal career and now the club have to secure the best deal possible if he’s to move on in the next few days.