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Football London
Football London
Sport
Josh Challies

Folarin Balogun sends pointed message to Mikel Arteta after Arsenal's FA Cup exit

Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun has made his thoughts clear following the Gunners 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup.

Mikel Arteta's side saw a six-game unbeaten run draw to a close with a premature exit from the competition, in what represented a feeble defence of the trophy won last year.

The Spaniard made seven changes to the side that defeated Newcastle United in the Premier League, handing more opportunities to the under-performing Willian and Nicolas Pepe.

Another frustrating performance from the pair has come following a period where they have regularly been eclipsed by younger players in the squad, including Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.

While Arteta has handed opportunities to young players during his year in charge at Arsenal, those chances are yet to fall to Balogun.

The 19-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and, as it stands, will be able to leave on a free transfer - something Arteta has repeatedly stated he does not want to see happen, as the club pushes to secure the teenager to a new deal.

Having been overlooked for the FA Cup clash, Balogun took to social media after the match to send a pointed message towards his manager.

The young striker shared a clip from his previous match on Friday evening, where he netted a hat-trick for the U23 ranks.

Issued on both Twitter and Instagram, the aim of the clip was more direct on the latter as it was accompanied by a facepalm emoji.

With Arsenal now out of the FA Cup, any debut for Balogun would have to come in either the Premier League or the knockout stages of the Europa League.

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