Balogun vs Pepi: American No.9s Ahead of Home World Cup
Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi are walking into the biggest summer of their careers with goals behind them, price tags on them and the Premier League peering over the fence.
Two American No.9s. Two very different routes. One looming home World Cup that will define how both are remembered.
Balogun, the seasoned newcomer
Balogun’s story has already taken in one heavyweight. Born in New York, raised in London, he came through Arsenal’s academy with all the usual noise and expectation. The breakthrough never quite arrived at the Emirates: just 10 competitive appearances and two Europa League goals before the club cashed in.
The real statement came in France. A 22-goal loan spell at Reims turned him from promising prospect into serious asset, convincing Monaco to spend around €40 million in 2023. That fee raised eyebrows, but the response on the pitch has been emphatic. Nineteen goals across all competitions this past season underline why Europe’s elite keep his name on their lists.
He looks like a player who has grown up fast. Different leagues, different pressures, same outcome: he scores.
Pepi, the fast climber
Pepi’s climb has been more abrupt. His move to Augsburg in January 2022 felt like a gamble from all sides – a young American striker thrown into the Bundesliga with a heavy fee and heavy scrutiny.
He didn’t stay long. The next step, to PSV, has suited him far better. He has not always started in Eindhoven, but he has kept scoring and learning in a team expected to win every week. Nineteen goals in all competitions while helping PSV to another Eredivisie title is a strong answer to any doubts about his ceiling.
He is still refining his game, still adding layers. Yet the numbers are there, and so is the sense that bigger leagues are watching closely.
Friedel’s verdict: two Premier League fits, different levels
With both forwards heading into a home World Cup and Premier League scouts circling, the obvious question hangs in the air: are they ready for England?
Brad Friedel, who knows the league and the USMNT pressure cooker as well as anyone, thinks so – with caveats.
“Both of them could play in England for sure, depending on the size of the club,” he told GOAL in association with MrQ.
For Pepi, Friedel sees a specific lane.
“I think someone like Pepi would need to be one of the mid to lower teams. Something like Brentford, Bournemouth, Fulham. And I don’t mean that they have to finish mid-table, but they’re more mid-tier in terms of expectation and pressure. The teams I’ve mentioned, they’re fantastic clubs, but I think if he moved to a Manchester United or Arsenal, it would be too much for him, too quick.”
That is not a slight, more a recognition of where Pepi is in his development. A club that allows him to grow, to make mistakes, to carry responsibility without the weekly hysteria of a title chase, might be the perfect bridge.
Balogun, in Friedel’s eyes, is already built for something heavier.
“With Balogun, I think Balogun could play at one of the big boys and deal with the perception and reality situation, because I think he would be deemed more of a seasoned player - not being disrespectful of Pepi, it’s just his history in Europe.”
He has done it as a focal point at Reims. He has done it with a big fee on his back at Monaco. That matters when you walk into a dressing room expecting Champions League nights and title talk.
Fulham echoes and American parallels
Pepi’s name has already been linked with Fulham, and Friedel can see the logic instantly.
“I think Pepi was linked to Fulham, correct? And if you look at that, you see Raul Jiménez and his style and Pepi’s, they’re very similar. I think that would actually be a seamless transition.”
Then comes the comparison that will make older USMNT fans smile.
“It’s almost like how Fulham had [Brian] McBride going and [Clint] Dempsey coming in. I know McBride was a little better in the air and Dempsey more on the ground, but Dempsey was still very good in the air and McBride still was too with his feet, so it’s very similar like that, the comparison of Pepi and Jimenez.”
Different era, same idea: an American forward stepping into a role that already exists, with a clear blueprint for how to succeed.
Friedel, for one, would not blink if both strikers end up on English soil sooner rather than later.
“I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Balogun or Pepi in England next season, and I think they could both be successful in the Premier League.”
Pochettino’s choice: one starter, one weapon
Before any transfer tug-of-war begins, there is the small matter of a World Cup on home soil and a manager in Mauricio Pochettino who must pick a No.9.
Asked who he would choose, Friedel did not hesitate.
“Balogun would be my pick. If you look historically at Pochettino’s teams, he usually likes to have players who play very vertically and who are really dynamic, and that’s more of what Balogun is.”
That vertical, aggressive style has defined Pochettino’s best sides. Press high, break lines, attack space. Balogun fits that script.
Pepi’s role, in Friedel’s mind, is no less important – just different.
“And then to have the option of Pepi, who again will work really hard, but is very good in the box, good in the air, to come off the bench.”
A change of profile. A penalty-box presence. A striker who can punish tired defenders late in games.
Conditions will play their part too.
“I could also see a little bit of a rotation in the group phase, because it’s also going to be very hot over here. And the players have just come off, those two especially a long season. So you could see Mauricio maybe wanting to take a different tactical approach against Paraguay and Australia.”
Different opponents, different needs. One game might demand Balogun’s vertical chaos, another Pepi’s penalty-area instincts.
The Turkiye warning
All of this comes with a warning label. Group stages can turn quickly, even at home.
“Hopefully, they have points in the bag by the time they play Turkiye,” Friedel said. “Because if they’re not careful by the time they get to Turkiye, and they have to win that match, Turkiye is a very talented possession-based team.”
That is the stage Balogun and Pepi are walking toward: a decisive group game, a nation watching, one chance in the box that changes everything.
By then, one of them might already have a Premier League move lined up. Or both. The next step is coming either way.
The real question is simple: when the World Cup lights go up on home soil, which American No.9 will own the moment?
