Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand, has urged Folarin Balogun to follow in the footsteps of Charlie Patino who have reportedly made up his mind to leave Arsenal this summer.
Balogun and Patino who spent their 2022-2023 season on loan outside of the north London-based club are graduates of Arsenal’s development program.
Balogun has had a productive season with Ligue 1 outfit Reims, scoring 18 goals in 32 appearances.
On the other hand, Patino’s loan spell at Blackpool in the Championship has been complicated.
The 19-year-old midfielder had a promising start at the Championship side this season, but under coach Mick McCarthy he was unable to regain his best form and ultimately lost his spot in the team.
Blackpool were demoted to League One last Friday after losing 3-2 at home to play-off-contenders Millwall.
This summer, Patino would rather leave the Emirates Stadium permanently than join another club on loan per a report from The Athletic earlier this week.
In the same vein, if Folarin Balogun decides to return to Arsenal from his loan spell at Reims, he would have to compete with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah for a starting shirt.
This could be a difficult battle for the Nigerian-born British forward. Hence, Ferdinand wants him to move to another club permanently.
“I think sometimes, especially when you go out on loan, you get that taste of playing men’s football in front of fans and stadiums, and to think you’re going to go back and play U23s football, sometimes it’s like, ‘I can’t go back to that’. You’ve got to be brave”, Ferdinand said on his FIVE YouTube Channel.
“Balogun has a big decision to make too. Does he go back and potentially sit on the bench and wait for his chance at Arsenal, or does he go, ‘I want to play now, I’ve proved my worth’?
“Both of these boys (Balogun and Patino) have got big decisions. I think Charlie Patino has made up his mind and wanted to go elsewhere.
“It is important for Arsenal with what they do. I think they will go for a bit more experience in that midfield area.”
