Nigeria boss Gernot Rohr feels Leon Balogun may have to leave Brighton in January if he continues to struggle for first-team opportunities
Centre-back Balogun only arrived at The Amex from Bundesliga club Mainz during the summer, but he has struggled to make an impact with the Seagulls, as he has featured just twice in the Premier League this season, with his only start of the campaign coming against Liverpool in August.
The 30-year-old has found it particularly tough to dislodge the established centre-back pairing of Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk at Brighton and his lack of game-time has now come to the attention of his international manager Rohr.
Rohr has been in charge of Nigeria since 2016 and he feels Balogun may have to reassess his position at Brighton if he continues to struggle for minutes over the coming weeks, as his place in the Super Eagles side could come under threat as a result.
“On Leon Balogun, we will insist all the time on our player playing regularly because its the same for other players,” Rohr told CSN. “We tell them sometimes that it’s better to play in smaller club than to go to a big club in the Premier League and you don’t play. It’s difficult, but we have discussed this in our conversation especially with Balogun.
“He’s 30 now which means that if he’s not playing, it will be more difficult for him to be fit. “We will speak with these players who have this problem. And when the January transfer window opens we will see.”