Arsenal hit gold-selling star which Arteta says is 'something special'

Over the past five years or so, Arsenal It has completely turned into a football club.

Although there have been changes to the board of directors and a new willingness to spend on the part of the owners, much of this change appears to stem from… Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard has turned the team into a consistent form Premier League Title contenders on the pitch and, therefore, an incredibly attractive destination for some of the game's biggest stars.

However, on top of this, he has also overseen the improvement of how the club is sold in the market, with the sale of a previously highly regarded player being an excellent example of this development.

Arteta's notable sales

Before we get to the player in question, it's worth examining some of the other impressive sales that have taken place under Arteta, starting with Eddie Nketiah.

The former academy gem was once an important part of the Spaniard's squad and has been presented with an award A huge contract worth £100,000 per week In the summer of 2022.

However, after two seasons of disappointing performances, he was finally let go in the summer.

What makes his departure so notable is that despite being surplus to requirements at the Emirates Stadium, Crystal Palace still agreed to pay a fee. A whopping £30 million for himWhile he scored a goal against Arsenal on Wednesday night, his return is not over Two goals and one assist In 14 games, not great.

Another impressive sale made under the Spanish manager was fellow academy graduate Joe Willock, who joined Newcastle United on a permanent deal for About £25 million in the summer For the year 2021.

The England midfielder had already joined the Magpies on a six-month loan in January that year and looked impressive, scoring goals. Eight goals in 14 matches.

However, in his first full campaign in the northeast, he could only muster A total of two goals in 31 matchesAnd, as it stands now, it has a fairly modest amount 16 goals and seven assists In 119 appearances for the Toon, which makes the money Arsenal received for him look excellent.

However, there is another academy gem sold under Arteta who has made the club more money than Willock and Nketiah, someone the manager thought highly of.

Great Arteta sale deal

So, let's get straight to the point, the player in question is none other than former academy star Folarin Balogun.

The American international was once an incredibly exciting prospect at Arsenal, to a large degree Martin Keown compared it to Ian Wright and Andy Cole after scoring in a Europa League match in 2020.

However, that was in the 22/23 season, when I was on loan with Stade Reims, the “unbelievable” gem, as He named it after former manager Will Steeletruly announced himself to the wider football world.

In just 39 first-team appearances, he scored He scored 22 goals and provided three assistsequivalent to an average participation in goals every 1.56 matches.

Unsurprisingly, this led to high praise from Arteta, who… He told the media that there is “Something special” about the striker, although whatever he was, was not enough to see him become the coach's No. 9 on his return.

So, that summer, when Monaco came With a huge offer of £34 millionthe north Londoners cut their hands, and in the season and since, it has seemed like a brilliant decision to do so.

For example, while he was still effective in France last season, he received a significant amount of… Eight goals and seven assists In 32 games he is hardly devastating.

And so is his balance Three goals and one assist Ten games this season will not be enough to see him start for the Gunners.

Ultimately, Balogun is an extremely talented footballer and someone who looks more than good enough to enjoy a great career in one of Europe's top five leagues, but it is doubtful that he will become the world-class player that some thought he would.

So, it was a great job by Arteta and Arsenal to get £34m for him last season, especially as he probably wouldn't have played a major role had he stayed.