Arsenal learn double transfer lesson with $12m Folarin Balogun reality after brutal Man City call

Arsenal transfer news: The Gunners once more chose to leave out Folarin Balogun as serious questions are raised over his place in the squad.

So that looks like it will be that for Folarin Balogun at Arsenal. Ten first-team appearances, two goals and one assist. Less than 250 minutes later for an academy graduate that the club value at £50million ($64m) and the time has come to an end.

Having hardly played during pre-season, a mixture of fitness issues and not being in favour under Mikel Arteta, the clearest indicator yet that he is not going to form any part of the squad for next season came on Sunday in the Community Shield.

With Kai Havertz selected to start ahead of even Eddie Nketiah, who wore the captains armband for his boyhood club in the Emirates Cup clash against Monaco last week, Balogun was nowhere to be seen.

The 22-year-old, coming off the back of a 21 goal season in Ligue 1 with Stade de Reims, has struggled to get onto the pitch, let alone make much of an impact during pre-season. This time the expectation is that he was fit and it makes a choice to leave him out even more damning.

football.london wrote on Sunday that the game would prove to be decisive one for Balogun for better or for worse and in the absence of his appearance on show, it is hard to see a way back now. His lack of minutes, depleting status within the squad and form of others has all but an end to his chances of being involved in the first team set-up.

Even in a squad that was stripped back, cut down to 20 due to competition rules, he wasn't selected to act as a body on the bench. As a mere option in the 100th minute it may have been a boost to see a player in red hot form ready to make a difference even as a sign of desperation.

Instead