Arsenal return ruled out but USMNT striker Folarin Balogun backed for Premier League transfer by title-winning former Gunners and Monaco star

Balogun was born in the United States, to Nigerian parents, but was raised in London. He joined the fabled Hale End academy at the age of eight and rose through the ranks to take in 10 competitive appearances for the Gunners.

His path to regular first-team football was forever blocked, meaning that much-needed game time and experience needed to be picked up during a couple of loan spells. One of those, at Reims, allowed Balogun to catch the eye in France.

A permanent switch to Monaco was sanctioned in 2023, with the 25-year-old - who switched international allegiance from England to the US and now has 31 senior caps to his name - scoring 19 goals across all competitions last season.

He has been registering on recruitment radars across Europe, with Arsenal including a 17.5 per cent sell-on clause in the deal which took Balogun to Monaco. They stand to benefit from any sale, but could they explore the option of bringing a familiar face back onto their books?

The Gunners are still crying out for a prolific No.9, but two-time Premier League title winner Grimandi is not convinced that a product of their youth system is of the standard required at Emirates Stadium. The Frenchman, who also represented Monaco in his playing days and was speaking on behalf of talkSPORT Bet Online Slots, told GOAL when asked for his assessment of Balogun: “He's a good player, he's a good player in Ligue 1.

“I don't think he can go back to Arsenal. It's quite complicated, they already have [Kai] Havertz and [Viktor] Gyokeres. So even top players, it's complicated for them to perform in this position at Arsenal.

“I don't think Balogun can bring something more than what Arteta’s got at this moment, and it's still hard for them. But he's a good player, he did well last season, he played good football, he can take the space, he has a good technique. But I'm not sure that he will bring something more than what we've got at Arsenal at this time.”

Asked if Balogun could make more of an impact elsewhere in England, having come close to heading for Merseyside, Grimandi added: “Maybe. I think it will be a good choice for Everton to get this guy.

“I think he can play in the Premier League of course, but the level of Arsenal is so high at this time that I'm not sure that he will help the team to get what they want to get.”

Balogun saw a £40 million ($53m) move to Everton agreed during the summer of 2026 - on the back of his exploits at a home World Cup with the USMNT. He brought those talks to a close after seeing issues emerge during the medical process.

He is still open to the idea of returning to his roots at some stage. Asked by talkSPORT if he could end up in the Premier League, the hard-working frontman said: “Yes, potentially. Football has many twists and turns as we’ve seen after the World Cup. I was close to a transfer, didn’t materialise, but for sure it’s definitely an option.”

Balogun has made just three substitute appearances for Monaco so far this season, having shaken off a minor knee problem, and is still waiting on his first goal of 2026-27. A more prominent role should be taken on in the weeks and months to come.

If he can get back into the groove, then the likelihood is that more transfer rumours will surface at the turn of the calendar year. There are still several teams in the Premier League that would welcome a proven No.9 onto their respective books.