Folarin Balogun difficulties highlight why Ivan Toney may struggle at Arsenal

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal sold Folarin Balogun in the summer despite a strong campaign in front of goal last season, and are now struggling upfront.

However, Balogun has also struggled for form at AS Monaco, with four Ligue 1 goals all season and just one in his last nine games.

Comments from his manager Adi Hutter indicated that Balogun’s key struggle was that he was finding it difficult to adapt to a different style of play, which arguably proved that Mikel Arteta’s decision to sell the former Hale End star was the right one.

Arsenal have been linked with a big-money move for Brentford attacker Ivan Toney, which could happen in the summer, but Balogun’s current difficulties should highlight why Toney may not be the attacking saviour many believe him to be.

Folarin Balogun form shows potential Ivan Toney concern at Arsenal

Hutter’s recent comments emphasised that Balogun’s key struggle was that he joined a team which aims to dominate possession and play higher up the pitch, rather then play deeper and counter-attack.

The parallels between Monaco and Reims in this regard are remarkably similar to that of Arsenal and Brentford.

Toney scored 14 non-penalty goals in the Premier League last season, in a Brentford side which would be lethal on the counter, with speedy attackers running into space.

Right now, Arsenal dominate high up the pitch, but are constantly faced with deep-block defences, and their recent loss to West Ham saw them dominate the ball and find themselves in the box, but still struggled to finish.

Should Toney make a move to the Emirates, he would be playing in a completely different system, and have to battle defenders much higher up the pitch whilst keeping possession, and he could face similar problems to those Balogun is encountering now despite being clinical in their previous campaigns.

Is Ivan Toney a poor fit for Arsenal?

Despite his strong finishing ability, there are many warning signs that Toney would struggle to be the clinical forward which Arsenal have been told to sign to give themselves a shot at the Premier League title.

One could also look at former record signing Nicolas Pepe as another warning side over Toney. Pepe thrived for Lille in France, scoring and assisting at a remarkable rate before his big move, but struggled at the Emirates.

Pepe was clearly talented and showed glimpses of his best ability, but the reality was that he was a winger who thrived running into space on the counter-attack, and he could not adapt to Arteta’s possession-dominant style.

If Arsenal spend a huge fee on Toney and he encounters the same issues as Balogun and Pepe, then the club will only have themselves to blame, as there have been warning signs to suggest that the transition from Brentford to Arsenal is not an easy one, as goalkeeper David Raya has found out.