A summer clear-out beckons over in north London, with five young Arsenal players expected to leave at the end of the season.
Five young Arsenal players are reportedly set to leave the Emirates Stadium at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
All these players are at U-23 level, according to Football London, and they’ve each struggled to break into the first-team. The most notable one, of course, is Folarin Balogun, whose future has been in doubt for quite some time.
So here are the five young Arsenal players reportedly on their way out.
Folarin Balogun
Balogun is a product of Arsenal’s famed Hale End academy. He has been part of the club since the age of eight, starred at youth level, and signed his first professional contract in February 2019.
But the New York-born striker has only made five appearances at senior level, which all came under Arteta this season in the Europa League and EFL Cup. He has allegedly got ‘several offers both in England and from abroad’.
Ben Sheaf
The defensive midfielder has been part of the Arsenal set-up since 2014 and has made two first-team appearances so far. At the age of 23, however, Sheaf needs regular action and is currently on loan at Championship side Coventry City.
The club’s manager Mark Robbins has revealed that a buy obligation for this summer was included in his loan deal.
Arthur Okonkwo
The 19-year-old goalkeeper occasionally trains with the senior team, but that is as far as it’s ever gotten. Okonkwo is yet to make his debut, having only played for Arsenal at U-23 and U-18 level during his career.
The fact 18-year-old Karl Hein got the nod over Okonkwo as the back-up keeper for Arsenal’s Europa League ties against Benfica suggests an exit is inevitable once his contract expires at the end of the season.
Joseph Olowu
The Gunners reportedly favor RB Leipzig’s Ibrahima Konate as their top center-back transfer target. Should they get their man, or maybe somebody else, Joseph Olowu will most certainly be out of Arteta’s plans.
The 21-year-old defender is on loan at English fifth-tier side Wealdstone and reportedly plans to end his spell at Arsenal once his contract expires this summer.
Kido Taylor-Hart
Despite impressing at youth level, Taylor-Hart is yet to receive a professional contract offer from Arsenal. Therefore, unless the Gunners reconsider, the 18-year-old winger will leave at the end of the season.
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