Former Arsenal striker Benik Afobe has urged Folarin Balogun to leave the club at the end of the season and not to sign a new contract.
The highly-rated striker is due to see his current deal expire at the end of the campaign, where he'll be available on a free transfer, and Arsenal are determined to keep him.
Mikel Arteta has recently spoken about his confidence in retaining the services of Balogun, despite the fact there are just months remaining on his deal.
However, former Arsenal striker Afobe has likened Balogun's situation to his own and believes he should look to find opportunities elsewhere.
“It all depends on your positioning and who’s ahead of you… Balogun, he’s good, I’ve seen him play,” Afobe told The Beautiful Game Podcast.
“I think it’s the right decision for him to leave. The captain [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang] is a number nine, the other number nine is top goalscorer this season, [Alexandre] Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah is a couple of years older than him and has also done well.
“If you want to keep waiting for your chance, before you know it you’re 23, and teams, managers will start picking up players who are more experienced in the Championship, who have 100 appearances to their name, instead of the guy from Arsenal who has played for England Under-19s. And that’s kind of what’s happened to me as well.”
Afobe, now at Turkish side Trabzonspor, rose through the ranks at Arsenal but failed to earn a single senior appearance at the club.
He joined Wolves from the Gunners for a reported £2m in 2015, where he enjoyed the best years of his career with the club.
