Arsenal’s Hale End academy has produced some brilliant talent in recent years.
Bukayo Saka is a world-class player on his day, Myles Lewis-Skelly is blossoming into a top midfield player, while Max Dowman looks like the next big thing.
Of course, there are also those Hale Enders who didn’t quite make it at Arsenal but are starring elsewhere.
Mika Biereth is doing very well over in France, Brooke Norton-Cuffy is starring in Italy, while Ayden Heaven looks like he’s developing well at Manchester United too.
Meanwhile, Folarin Balogun has had the summer of his life after a fantastic World Cup campaign.
Now, a Premier League move could beckon for Balogun, and he could be reunited with another former Arsenal academy hopeful.
Could Folarin Balogun end up being Arsenal’s biggest transfer mistake in recent times?
Folarin Balogun and Omari Hutchison could reunite at Nottingham Forest
According to Flashscore, Nottingham Forest are among those interested in signing Folarin Balogun this summer.
That could be a very good move for all parties – Forest need a new striker to replace the ageing Chris Wood, while Balogun gets to join an exciting project under a fantastic manager – Oliver Glasner.
However, this move may well stir some interesting emotions among Arsenal fans.
Cast your mind back a few years and you may remember that Balogun was the crown jewel of Arsenal’s academy, alongside another talented attacker – Omari Hutchison.
Hutchison since left to join Chelsea before a move to Ipswich Town and subsequently, Forest.
Arsenal’s academy always does seem to produce these players in pairs – Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe were a famous duo, while Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri are a more modern version of that.
However, between those two pairings, there was Balogun and Hutchison, and while neither player made it at Arsenal, they could now be set to reunite at the City Ground.
Once upon a time, these two players looked like the future of Arsenal, now they could be the future of Nottingham Forest instead.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
