‘Strange to me’: Pundit hints £34m player should now be dropped by national team two weeks after Arsenal exit

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Herculez Gomez has seemingly called for Folarin Balogun to lose his starting place for the USMNT less than two weeks after the striker sealed his move away from Arsenal.

Gomez was speaking on ESPN with the 22-year-old finding himself outscored by Ricardo Pepi since making his debut for the national team earlier this year.

Folarin Balogun took the decision to leave Arsenal in the summer. The youngster appeared to be down the pecking order in Mikel Arteta’s squad. And he ultimately sealed a £34 million move to Monaco just before the transfer window shut.

Balogun is yet to make his first start in the Principality. But he did get 45 minutes under his belt at the weekend as the US beat Uzbekistan 3-0 in a friendly.

However, he was unable to find the back of the net before being replaced at the break by Pepi. The PSV Eindhoven striker went on to score the home side’s second goal in stoppage-time.

Pundit suggests Balogun should be dropped by USMNT two weeks after Arsenal exit

Balogun has scored one goal for the national team since making his debut. Meanwhile, Pepi has two, and he has been on the pitch for much less time than Balogun.

It appeared to be a real coup for the US to get Balogun to opt to play for them. But Gomez has hinted that Gregg Berhalter needs to make a change with Pepi the man in better form right now.

He told ESPN when it was put to him that many would have Balogun nailed on for a start: “Which is strange to me because when I think of automatic starters on this national team, there’s a few to come to mind, like your Christian Pulisics, your Sergino Dests, your Tyler Adams’, Weston McKennies if you will. I don’t have Balogun pencilled in as that automatic lock as a starting nine.

“Sure, he’s had an incredible time in the French league, one very good season, his debut senior season in first division football where he scored a ton of goals. But when it comes to the nine position here on this US men’s national team, I don’t see a glaring difference right now from Balogun – what I’ve seen in those three games – to the rest of the players in the pool in that position.

“This nine position should pretty much go to the player who has the hot hand if you will, who’s the goalscorer of the moment. And Ricardo Pepi, for being a guy who was told you’re not going to the World Cup and having that same coach come back, has not missed a beat. Five games for Ricardo Pepi with US men’s national team since that World Cup, five goals in limited time.”

It is going to be fascinating to see how Balogun’s career plays out over the coming years. You can certainly understand why he wanted to leave Arsenal. It was abundantly clear that he was behind the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah, and even Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard.

He has proven himself in Ligue 1. But he now has the pressure of being a player with a big price-tag. And with the US co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, he will help carry the hopes of a nation.

There are going to be some bumps in the road because of his age and the massive changes he has made.

But clearly, he has plenty to prove to some before he is one of the first names on the national team team sheet.