Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot is not expecting to see Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun sign a permanent deal with the Ligue 1 outfit, telling France Bleu that a long-term stay looks ‘impossible’.
The good news, for Stade de Reims supporters, is that Les Rouges et Blancs have a superb track record when it comes to unearthing diamonds in the rough. Particularly in attacking areas.
Out went Boulaye Dia, in came Hugo Ekitike. And, when Ekitike joined PSG for £35 million last summer, Reims replaced him with a man currently joint-top of the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts alongside Jonathan David and Kylian Mbappe.
“(Signing Balogun) once again demonstrates the keen eye of our scouts,” Caillot beams.
“Folarin Balogun, we almost signed him for the club a few years ago when he was unsure whether he would sign his first professional contract at Arsenal. We clung to him, continued to be in contact with him.
“You have to look at the quality of his goals and his work-rate. What impresses me is that he doesn’t stand like a cone in front of the goal to tap the ball in. He works a lot for the team.”
What does the future hold for Folarin Balogun at Arsenal?
Balogun struggled on loan at Middlesbrough just 12 months ago but has come on leaps and bounds since then, scoring 15 times in 20 starts on the other side of the Channel. Mikel Arteta has been full of praise for the youngster’s ‘incredible’ form over at Reims, but his future at parent club Arsenal remains uncertain.
According to Fabrizio Romano, a decision will be made at the end of the season; clubs in England, France and Germany keeping tabs on the situation.
Caillot, meanwhile, is none the wiser about whether or not the New York-born Balogun will return to the Emirates and fight for his place under Arteta.
“I think it’s impossible (to keep him at Reims),” the president adds. “Either Folarin will return to Arsenal to have his chance, or he will be loaned out again, or even sold to a very high-level club. He is a player who must go even higher.
“Obviously, we will ask the question of him and of his club. But I think that he will have to take a step (forward).
“So we are already working on the ‘next Balogun’. But hey, if he and his club agree to do another year at Stade de Reims, we will do everything to make it happen.
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