Arsenal will soon kick-start a search for a new striker, with recent reports linking their mercurial forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with a departure from the Emirates Stadium when he comes off contract in the summer of 2021, but perhaps they have an already made replacement in their ranks in the ilk of youngster Folarin Balogun.
The Gunners might need not to break the bank should this become the case come next season, but will only look to integrating one of the most talented strikers they have in their youth ranks into the senior side, with the Nigeria-eligible teenager possessing enough quality to deputise or even thrive alongside Alexandre Lacazette.
Balogun has been a revelation in their Hale End Academy since earning recognition, and his prolificacy was made evident in the 2018-2019 season when he plundered 28 goals in 28 games for the club's youth teams across all competitions.
Most recently, the 18-year-old has been in and around the senior team having been promoted to a couple of first team trainings by Mikel Arteta, so thus he has had the honour of training alongside the stars at the club, the likes of Mesut Ozil, Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and even Aubameyang.
He has also already felt the mood and feeling of senior competitive games, as he was among the substitutes when Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 5-0 in a League Cup game last year.
The England youth international could be a replacement for any of Arsenal's outgoing forwards in order to save the club from having to churn out millions of pounds for a new signing, particularly in the face of the ongoing pandemic.
With Balogun having already proved his mettle in terms of scoring goals and proving efficient in the final third, perhaps a potential departure of Aubameyang from Arsenal will not hit the club hard as first thought, of course if only they get to offer him the long overdue crack at senior football which he has proved deserving.
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