Folarin Balogun is the talk of the town at the moment as he’s flying high in Ligue 1 during his loan spell with Reims.
Balogun is firing on all cylinders over in France. He’s the top scorer in the league with 15 goals to his name already and he’s a genuine Golden Boot candidate.
To top the scoring charts in a league that contains the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi would seem to be no easy feat – but there is reason to be a bit skeptical about Balogun’s exploits this term.
Indeed, when you look at the scoring charts in France, you will notice another player with links to Arsenal is just behind Balogun – Alexandre Lacazette.
Lacazette himself has 14 league goals already this season, and the fact that he’s scoring at that rate over in France just goes to show the level of football we’re looking at in Ligue 1.
Indeed, the Lacazette comparison shows why Arsenal should not get carried away by Balogun just yet. The 31-year-old is hot on Balogun’s heels in the top scorer race with 14 goals, showing that the standard of the league is substantially lower than that of the Premier League.
Lacazette struggled to find the net consistently in the Premier League. He scored just four league goals during his final season at Arsenal, but now, just six months after leaving the Emirates, he’s one of France’s top marksmen.
Additionally, Balogun has only played a relatively small number of games for Reims so far, and it’s really too early to judge him on such a small sample size.
Yes, he’s played in 22 Ligue 1 matches, but we’ve seen these extended runs of form from strikers before on plenty of occasions.
In reality, Balogun’s performances at Reims may not necessarily translate to success at Arsenal. Reims play a different style of football to the Gunners and the Premier League is a much more physically demanding league than Ligue 1. Balogun may struggle to adapt to the pace and intensity of the Premier League, and he may not get the same opportunities to score as he is currently getting at Reims.
Not to take away from the young man, Balogun’s performances at Reims are certainly promising, but Arsenal fans should not get too excited just yet.
It’s important to keep in mind that he is still a young player with a lot to learn, and his performances in Ligue 1 may not necessarily translate to success in the Premier League – as shown by the fact that Lacazette is just behind him in the scoring charts in France.
Balogun seems to have a high ceiling, but he’s still got plenty to prove at the top level.
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