A USMNT legend is hoping to convince young Arsenal star Folarin Balogun to switch his international allegiance from England to the USA.
Balogun is enjoying a brilliant season out on loan at Reims where he has scored 15 goals in just 23 Ligue 1 matches so far.
This tally currently makes him the division’s joint-top goalscorer alongside PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Lille’s Jonathan David.
It’s an incredible feat for the striker who prior to this season had scored just five times in his senior club career, though his potential has always been well known to those who have followed his international career.
The 21-year-old has featured at youth level for both England and the USA, scoring seven goals in just 13 caps for the former’s U21 side.
His future at Arsenal is currently unclear, but Balogun also has a big decision to make regarding which country he wants to play for, as he is eligible to represent the Three Lions, the USMNT and Nigeria.
Eric Wynalda, the USA’s former all-time top goalscorer, is desperate to see Balogun wear the Stars and Stripes and hopes that the prospect of being the star striker at a home World Cup can tempt him.
‘If we get Folarin Balogun we solve a lot of problems,’ the former forward told The Action Network’s Wondergoal Podcast.
‘I’m impressed with everything about him. The power that he has, the timing of his runs.
‘If you look at the circumstances that he’s in and the team he’s playing for, they’re mid table and he’s playing for a manager [Will Still] that’s 30 years old and the club have to pay a $25,000 fine because he doesn’t have a licence to coach at that level.
‘We have to appeal to his ego which is the reality of this. We should let him know that he will be a star. An absolute star at a World Cup, in his own country as he was born in New York.
‘He will be a star with us. He won’t necessarily be a star with England. It will come down to how important it is for him to be in the spotlight. That’s the only chance we’ve got to get him.
‘We need to lock him in with some sponsors too. Everything from the Mastercards, the Budweisers, the Coca-Cola’s, the big ones that will be sponsors of this World Cup. They have to figure out how to fit him into the budget.’
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