Some may say it's not worth tracking him. Well, he's already demonstrated interest in the US as a secondary option and England are absolutely loaded with young attacking talent. He's not yet been a real standout in his England YNT age group. It's certainly more likely he will switch than some others.
Tab Ramos was interviewed on the Scuffed podcast and mentioned Balogun, saying his international situation is "not settled."
This was retweeted by USA Prospects on Twitter. And if you see the replies, there are a bunch of additional young England names that were forgotten/left off, and Balogun isn't among the prospects mentioned by those replying. It's just instructive for Balogun's long-term odds with England when he hasn't really been a standout in his specific England YNT age group, let alone England YNTs in general. Even in Arsenal's setup alone, there are other under-20 English attacking prospects rated higher than him. He might make it with England, but we have a real chance with him, as Tab Ramos believes. Way too early to say we have little shot with him. 1082340864561692672 is not a valid tweet id
Sure, but putting aside a few players such as Sancho, Sessegnon, and Hudson-Odoi, half those players won't pan out to be good enough for us, either. Prospects are a numbers game.
Starts for U18s: 📝 The teams are in! Here’s how #AFCU18 line up against @SpursOfficial this evening… Starting XI | Okonkwo; Daley-Campbell, Ogungbo, McGuinness, Swanson; Smith, McEneff, Cottrell; Amaechi, Balogun, Saka Bench | Graczyk, Lopez, Olayinka, Coyle, Greenwood #FAYouthCup 🏆 pic.twitter.com/XBwezWgjcI— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) January 17, 2019
Scored in extra time: 102 (ET) - Goal for Arsenal. Oluwayemi saves Amaechi's angled shot at his near post but Balogun stabs in the loose ball. #COYS🔴 #AFC 4-2 #THFC ⚪— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 17, 2019 Our third change of the evening... ⬅️ Balogun🔛 Coyle 🔴 5-2 ⚪️ (112) #FAYouthCup 🏆— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) January 17, 2019
Highlights video (free sign up required): https://www.arsenal.com/fixture/under-18/2019-Jan-17/under-18-5-2-tottenham-hotspur-u18-match-report
Flo Balogun for #AFCU18 this season... 👀1️⃣3️⃣ appearances 1️⃣3️⃣ goals pic.twitter.com/lqBlBGM19U— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) February 13, 2019
#AFCU18 ran out 5-0 winners over Leicester City in the #U18PremierLeague this afternoon 👏🔥 @tyreecejj9 hit a first-half hat-trick 🎯 Balogun and Coyle also scored pic.twitter.com/4njXkfC8ND— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) February 19, 2019
🔥 Tidy footwork from Balogun 🎯 Sharp shooting from @TyreeceJJ9 Well worked, #AFCU18 👊 pic.twitter.com/btQCw10T9b— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) February 21, 2019
Started and scored today against Southampton. http://dailycannon.com/2019/02/18-g...un-is-proving-he-deserves-more-opportunities/
Hat trick: Folarin Balogun hit a hat-trick in #AFCU18’s 6-2 win over Norwich City this afternoon 🔥John-Jules, Coyle and Greenwood also found the back of the net 👏 pic.twitter.com/pC3hSloL8w— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) March 2, 2019
On the bench for the U23s: 🚨 TEAM NEWS 🚨Here's how #AFCU23 line up against @SwansOfficial in the #PL2 this evening... pic.twitter.com/Khrqb1m2Pz— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) March 4, 2019
He came on at halftime and scored. Arsenal 1 Swansea 2. Balogun gets his first U23 goal of the season after impressive run.— Jeorge Bird (@jeorgebird) March 4, 2019 Balogun has 16 goals in 19 games across all competitions this season. Would have got a lot more chances if Nketiah and John-Jules weren't ahead of him.— Jeorge Bird (@jeorgebird) March 4, 2019
He is a '01 and the U17 World Cup this year is from the 2002. In any case, it would be eligible for the current U20 or for U20 of 2021
And, of course, he is provisionally tied to England, so any US tournament would require a one-time switch.
These are some of the highlights of the last games where he scored. I like how he turns when he gets the ball, he has a very fast leg movement with which he can dribble much more easily to the defenders. It also has a very good definition in my opinion.
His Instagram has two USA photos and two England photos. That distribution makes overanalysis a bit difficult, though the England photos are more recent than the USA photos. Neither his Twitter nor his Instagram mention countries in the bio field. This is important information!
Signing a 1st contract 1/2 a year after the date he was eligible to is strange, wondering why Arsenal or he delayed it. Maybe a sign that he isn't highly rated. Also found this article, the author only covers Arsenal Youth teams does a damn good job of it too. https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/...gun-signs-professional-contract-with-arsenal/
Started for the U18s against Chelsea and scored again. Arsenal 1 Chelsea 0. Balogun, who just cannot stop scoring, with the goal.— Jeorge Bird (@jeorgebird) March 8, 2019
He came on in the 2nd half for the U23s against Everton today. Game ended 0-0. With Nketiah getting some looks with the first team, Balogun might feature a bit more with the U23s before the season is over. They have four games left.