Arsenal have spent years looking for the perfect number nine and after signing Viktor Gyokeres for big money in the summer, it seemed they’d finally got their man.
The Gunners splashed out north of £60m on the Swedish striker but ultimately, he has failed to get anywhere near the heights he got to at Sporting Lisbon.
Despite being a key player in the squad overall, Gyokeres has managed just five Premier League goals, prompting some Arsenal fans to question the Gyokeres signing in general.
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Of course, to make room for the Swede, Arsenal sold a number of players over recent transfer windows.
And according to former Tottenham striker Clint Dempsey, one of those players has proven to be quite the star ahead of the World Cup in 2026.
Arsenal told they’ve sold a player who could star at the World Cup
In football, there are always decisions made and transfers completed that go one way or the other.
For Arsenal, one of the big calls they had to make back in 2023 was whether or not to persist with young striker, Folarin Balogun, or move him on.
In the end, Arsenal cashed in, as Monaco paid £34m to land the youngster.
However, since then, Balogun has seemingly gone from strength to strength and now, according to Clint Dempsey, he is set to star for the USA at the World Cup.
“It’s a tough one. I mean, I’ve always been a big Balogun fan. I think he’s a complete player, not to say the others aren’t, but with his pace, how he can stretch the field, bring others into play,” Dempsey said on the Men In Blazers podcast.
He’s good with his right and left. He’s good in the air, can cause problems. But I think we’re in a good situation here with having three strikers fighting for that spot.”
Folarin Balogun’s record since leaving Arsenal shows they made the right decision
There does seem to be a bit of a curse when it comes to the players vying to be Arsenal’s number nine.
While Balogun has done okay since moving on from The Emirates, he’s still not done anything to suggest Arsenal were too wrong in selling him for big money at the time.
Since signing for Monaco, Balogun has yet to actually hit double figures, with his best return coming in his opening season in France when he netted eight times.
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Like Gyokeres, Balogun has scored seven times this season and looks on course to secure his best season so far but even still, it doesn’t mean we should rue the loss of him as an Arsenal player.
Sure, Balogun may well light up the World Cup for the USA but in the end, Arsenal made the right decision.
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