Viktor Gyokeres has proven to be quite a disastrous signing at Arsenal, and his limitations are only further highlighted when compared to Folarin Balogun.
Arsenal sold Balogun for £34 million in 2023, and two years later spent almost double that to sign Gyokeres from Sporting CP for £63 million.
Who would you rather starting for Arsenal right now: Folarin Balogun or Viktor Gyokeres?
Most recently, Balogun scored two against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, leaving fans questioning why they let him leave without handing him a proper chance.
Hale End stars like Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly have shown what they can do when given a proper chance; however, Mikel Arteta handed the 24-year-old just 10 appearances during his time at the Emirates Stadium.
Folarin Balogun is outperforming Viktor Gyokeres this season
Folarin Balogun is quite dramatically outperforming Viktor Gyokeres this season, when comparing the league stats from both strikers.
Gyokeres has managed more goals than Balogun, with the Swede netting 15 in 37, whilst the latter has 12 goals in 33 matches.
However, it’s worth remembering that Gyokeres is surrounded by quality players like Saka, Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze and Kai Havertz.
Also assessing the underlying data for Balogun, it is quite alarming to see how much better he is performing this season than the 27-year-old.
In terms of the stats in front of goal, Balogun is averaging more shots, more non-penalty goals, a better shooting percentage and higher NPxG.
💸 How much is Folarin Balogun worth today?
The Canadian international’s link-up play is also superior, with a better average for passing accuracy, assists, xA and open-play shots created for teammates.
Gyokeres has been such a bad signing for Arsenal, and despite his 15 goals, Andrea Berta looks to have got it wrong.
It’s just frustrating to see a clearly talented Hale End product cast aside; meanwhile, a player like Gyokeres is signed for almost double his valuation.
The former Gunner joined the club’s academy in 2012, aged just 10, which makes it even more gutting that he never really got a fair chance in N5.
Balogun’s recent performance against PSG is a strong sign of his talent, and potentially, one day, he could return to the North London club.
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