Folarin Balogun with the ‘big boys’ & Ricardo Pepi at ‘mid to lower team’ - USMNT strikers the subject of Premier League transfer predictions

New York-born Balogun has already spent time with a heavyweight outfit in the form of Arsenal, having graduated out of the Gunners’ fabled academy system. He only made 10 competitive appearances for the north London giants, scoring two Europa League goals, but offered enough during a 22-goal loan spell at Reims to secure himself a €40 million (£35m/$47m) move to Monaco in 2023. His most productive campaign there has just been completed, with the target being found on 19 occasions across all competitions.

Fellow countryman Pepi matched that return when helping PSV to another Eredivisie title in the Netherlands. He has not always been a guaranteed starter in Eindhoven, but has progressed quickly since initially arriving in Europe at German side Augsburg in January 2022.

With Balogun and Pepi both heading to a home World Cup this summer, and with speculation suggesting that they are registering on Premier League recruitment radars, could they be embracing fresh starts at club level in 2026-27?

Responding to that question, ex-USMNT goalkeeper Friedel - speaking exclusively to GOAL in association with MrQ - said: “Both of them could play in England for sure, depending on the size of the club.

“I think someone like Pepi would need to be one of the mid to lower teams. Something like Brentford, Bournemouth, Fulham. And I don’t mean that they have to finish mid-table, but they’re more mid-tier in terms of expectation and pressure. The teams I’ve mentioned, they’re fantastic clubs, but I think if he moved to a Manchester United or Arsenal, it would be too much for him, too quick.

“With Balogun, I think Balogun could play at one of the big boys and deal with the perception and reality situation, because I think he would be deemed more of a seasoned player - not being disrespectful of Pepi, it’s just his history in Europe.

“But I think both of them are very, very good. And it just depends on what style of play. I think Pepi was linked to Fulham, correct? And if you look at that, you see Raul Jiménez and his style and Pepi’s, they’re very similar. I think that would actually be a seamless transition. It’s almost like how Fulham had [Brian] McBride going and [Clint] Dempsey coming in. I know McBride was a little better in the air and Dempsey more on the ground, but Dempsey was still very good in the air and McBride still was too with his feet, so it’s very similar like that, the comparison of Pepi and Jimenez.

“But I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Balogun or Pepi in England next season, and I think they could both be successful in the Premier League.”

Prior to any transfers being discussed, Balogun and Pepi will be competing for starting berths at the 2026 World Cup finals. Asked who he would favour if put in Mauricio Pochettino’s shoes, Friedel added: “Balogun would be my pick. If you look historically at Pochettino’s teams, he usually likes to have players who play very vertically and who are really dynamic, and that’s more of what Balogun is.

“And then to have the option of Pepi, who again will work really hard, but is very good in the box, good in the air, to come off the bench.I could also see a little bit of a rotation in the group phase, because it’s also going to be very hot over here. And the players have just come off, those two especially a long season. So you could see Mauricio maybe wanting to take a different tactical approach against Paraguay and Australia.

“Hopefully, they have points in the bag by the time they play Turkiye. Because if they’re not careful by the time they get to Turkiye, and they have to win that match, Turkiye is a very talented possession-based team.”

Friendly dates with Senegal and Germany will present Pochettino with opportunities in which to finalise his plans and solve any pre-tournament selection dilemmas. The real business gets underway against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

Balogun and Pepi will be in contention to lead the line, as the USMNT looks for somebody to provide an attacking spark, and operating in the grandest of shop windows should help to attract even more interest from any Premier League suitors.