£35m player says he actually nearly joined Tottenham instead of Arsenal

Tottenham and Arsenal are the greatest of rivals on the pitch, but there’s often plenty of overlap in their academies.

Indeed, as two north London clubs, Tottenham and Arsenal are often fishing in the same ponds when looking for young talents, and there have been a few players who have been in both setups over the years.

Harry Kane famously started at Arsenal before heading to Tottenham, while there are similar stories for other players.

Speaking to JD Sports, Folarin Balogun has shared how he almost ended up at Tottenham instead of Arsenal as a young player.

Indeed, Balogun says that he was actually on trial at both clubs at the same time at one point, but his family ultimately decided Arsenal was the best destination for him.

 

Folarin Balogun almost signed for Tottenham

The £35m striker spoke about the choice he made as a youngster.

“Is it true that you almost signed for Spurs as a kid?” Balogun was asked.

“That is true. I was at Tottenham and Arsenal at the same time, and I was on trial with both teams. I was training Monday to Thursday with Tottenham and Friday to Sunday with Arsenal,” Balogun said.

“It was an intense schedule, but in the end me and my family decided that Arsenal will be a better fit for me, and it worked out excellently.”

Should Folarin Balogun have joined Tottenham?

As Balogun says, his career has worked out well as he’s currently playing for Monaco and the USA national team.

However, perhaps if Balogun had joined Tottenham, things would’ve been different.

Indeed, his rise to prominence in 2022/23 perfectly coincided with Harry Kane’s departure from Tottenham, and perhaps if Balogun was still on Spurs’ books, he would’ve got a shot at starting for a top six Premier League team regularly.

This is a very interesting sliding doors moment in football, and it’s intriguing to ponder what could’ve been if Balogun came up through the Spurs system instead of Arsenal.