Mikel Arteta has failed to assure £32k-a-week Arsenal man he'll play next season

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has failed to convince Folarin Balogun that he will play as many minutes as he would like next season.

A report from Football Transfers has shared more details on the young forward’s future.

It looks set to be a big summer for Folarin Balogun after a tremendous season in Ligue 1.

The 21-year-old outscored every player in the Arsenal squad while at Stade Reims.

His 21 goals and three assists helped a side that was expected to be fighting relegation finish comfortably mid-table.

Right now, there’s no obvious place for Balogun in the Arsenal squad.

Gabriel Jesus is Mikel Arteta’s first-choice forward and offers much more than goals in his system.

When the Brazilian was injured, Eddie Nketiah proved to be an able backup without really challenging Jesus for his place in the side.

While Arteta continues to only play one striker, it’s hard to see where Balogun’s minutes will come from.

If Kai Havertz arrives this summer too, then he could be pushed even further down the pecking order.

Arteta unable to promise Balogun sufficient minutes

The report from Football Transfer suggests that Balogun is ready to push for a move away from The Emirates.

That’s because Arteta hasn’t been able to give Balogun ‘sufficient assurances’ about potential game time.

The £32,000-a-week forward is a victim of his own success and bad timing at Arsenal.

Had he scored that many goals while on at Middlesbrough 12 months earlier, it could well have been Eddie Nketiah shipped out on loan.

Instead, Arsenal brought in Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard during that time.

Arsenal may see this summer as a good opportunity to cash in on Balogun while his stock is high.

Balogun has plenty of suitors who would be able to offer him more minutes than Arteta at Arsenal.

It seems counterproductive for The Gunners to sell one of their most prized young players.

However, if they allow him to sit on the bench for a season, he’ll become more unhappy and if he demands to leave, would be worth a lot less.