TBR View: Arsenal should move heaven and earth to tie down Folarin Balogun

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Arsenal travel to Norway tonight to take on Molde looking to continue their perfect start to their Europa League campaign and striker Folarin Balogun will hope to feature again.

The Gunners are facing a serious dilemma with the youngster, with the talisman so far reluctant to pen a new deal at the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta handed the under-23 star the chance to make his debut from the bench against Dundalk last week.

The Spaniard will hope to convince the 19-year-old that the pathway to first-team stardom is clear.

Arsenal value the player at around £15 million (Goal) but they’ll want to keep him around beyond this season.

Balogun has proved a hit at under-23 level, scoring ten goals and registering four assists during 16 outings last season.

The Gunners have a proud history with academy players and there could be uproar if the New York-born talent is allowed to depart.

With that in mind, the time has come to give Balogun whatever he wants in order to keep him at the club.

Arteta has done some good recruitment during the summer. Thomas Partey, Gabriel Magalhaes and Willian all arrived to bolster the ranks.

Those sort of additions shouldn’t come at the expense of the players who have been nurtured by the club and that includes Balogun.

The youngster is quick, powerful and perhaps, more importantly, knows where the back of the net is.

Arteta might have some more work to do in order to convince him that the pathway will remain clear at the Emirates.

A few more opportunities in the Europa League could be enough to convince Balogun that London is where his future lies.

It’s time to act, Arsenal.