USMNT Star Folarin Balogun Linked With Controversial Premier League Return

Tottenham Hotspur have set their sights on former Arsenal and current U.S. men’s national team striker Folarin Balogun, reports in France claim.

Balogun drew plenty of attention this summer at the 2026 World Cup, scoring three goals in four appearances for the Stars and Stripes. He also was embroiled in controversy after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened to suspend the ban that came with his round of 32 red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Just when the dust was settling, Balogun’s name is now once again in the headlines, only this time he won’t mind too much. French publication L’Équipe report Spurs “have laid the groundwork” for discussions regarding a potential transfer for the 25-year-old.

The French outlet claims Balogun, who is under contract with Monaco through 2028, could fetch a fee around $69.3 million (£51.3 million) should the move materialize. With Randal Kolo Muani returning to Juventus after his loan ended with Tottenham, Roberto De Zerbi’s side is in need of additional attacking reinforcements to join the injury-prone duo of Dominic Solanke and Richarlison.

Balogun’s Arsenal Roots Are Deep

Folarin Balogun spent the first half of his career as an Arsenal player. | Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Should Balogun make the switch from Monaco to Tottenham, it would be his second stint in the Premier League—and north London—after he previously spent over 12 years at Arsenal. The striker joined the Gunners’ academy at age eight and spent the next decade working his way up to the first team.

Balogun eventually got his call-up in 2020–21, and he made six first-team appearances, recording two goals and one assist along the way. Five of those appearances came in the Europa League, while the other one unfolded in the Carabao Cup.

The American did not make his Premier League debut until the 2021–22 season. Balogun appeared in two league matches and two Carabao Cup matches before he was sent on loan to Middlesbrough, where he failed to make much of an impact, scoring just three goals in 21 appearances.

As a result, Balogun was shipped off on a season-long loan to Reims for 2022–23, before he secured a permanent transfer to Monaco ahead of the 2023–24 season. It was an ending he previously noted was “out of [his] hands” to ESPN, chalking it up to “people higher up” at the club “making decisions” on his future.

Things never seemed bitter, on the surface at least, but they certainly can turn sour if Balogun makes his return to the English top-flight to represent Arsenal’s biggest rivals.

Why Potential Spurs Move Is a Massive Risk

Mauricio Pochettino needs Folarin Balogun to remain in top form. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

There’s plenty of ways a move back to north London could go wrong for Balogun, and not just because Arsenal fans would quickly turn on him. The striker would no doubt find it a massive adjustment to go from playing in Ligue 1 to playing in the Premier League.

Balogun only ever made two appearances in the English top-flight despite his years at Arsenal, and the league has only gotten more physical and more overloaded with big money transfers. It’s routine for newly arriving players to go through growing pains—just look at Florian Wirtz at Liverpool last season—and the attention that comes with playing for a ‘big six’ club makes the transition all the more difficult.

Balogun would then risk taking a massive step back in his career that is flourishing in France. The 25-year-old is coming off an impressive season at Monaco in which he scored 19 goals in 43 appearances. His form earned him the starting striker job in the USMNT’s attack this summer.

Should he join Spurs and fail to impress, he then could fall down Mauricio Pochettino’s pecking order with Ricardo Pepi snapping at his heels to became the USMNT’s main man up top. All it takes is one bad club season to impact an international career, a fate Trent Alexander-Arnold experienced while he sat at home and watched England compete without him this summer.

There’s also the fact that Tottenham are coming off two dismal seasons that saw them finish 17th in the Premier League. With De Zerbi spearheading somewhat of a squad overhaul this summer, welcoming the likes of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Andy Robertson, among others, the club is hardly a stable landing spot for Balogun, who would be fighting alongside a lot of new faces to establish himself.

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