Arsenal fans already have frustrations around some of the young players who have left the club in recent years, with some going on to excel elsewhere.
Serge Gnabry, Donyell Malen and Ismael Bennacer are three such players, who are all impressing around Europe having failed to break through at Arsenal.
Now, there’s another case emerging, as 17-year-old Yunus Musah scored for Valencia in a 2-2 draw against Getafe on Sunday, just over a year since leaving Arsenal for his move to Spain.
Musah was compared to Ansu Fati and Kylian Mbappe after his superb solo goal, and Arsenal may just have been served something of a warning.
Musah was born in the United States, and decided to move on for first-team opportunities elsewhere; a decision that so far appears to be paying off as he begins to thrive in the Valencia side.
Arsenal have another New York-born attacker at the club, with striker Folarin Balogun on the same path as Musah in terms of heading over to England and emerging through the Arsenal ranks.
Balogun is out of contract at the end of the season though, and that means Arsenal risk losing him just like they did with Musah, in what would certainly be a higher profile case.
Having seen Musah emerge as a top young talent with Valencia, Arsenal have been given a glimpse of what could happen if they lose another American-born teenager in Balogun.
Balogun is further along in his development at 19, and he impressed in Premier League 2 last season with 10 goals and four assists in 15 appearances.
Yet he has huge potential just like Musah, and if Arsenal can’t guarantee him future playing time, then he could well end up leaving the club and becoming a star elsewhere for next to nothing – just as Musah did in 2019.
Arsenal rejected bids for Balogun over the summer, suggesting they do still want to keep him, and Musah’s ascent should accelerate their attempts to tie Balogun down to a new deal.
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