Arsenal might have lost 3-1 on the weekend to Manchester United, but in France, loanee Folarin Balogun was once again stealing headlines as the striker bagged his fifth goal of the season for Stade de Reims.
The 21-year-old striker signed for the Ligue 1 side in the summer on a season-long loan deal, and to say Balogun has been a success in Reims would be quite the understatement, with the England U-21 attacker joint-third in French scoring charts behind PSG superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
After a mixed loan spell at Middlesbrough last season, Balogun has seemingly found his feet this campaign with Reims, and the attacker’s performance against high-flying RC Lens earned the youngster rave reviews from the French media on the same day Arsenal were beaten by their old English rivals.
National newspaper Le Figaro hailed Balogun as a ‘phenom’ and Reims’ new saviour for the season after the French club lost star talent Hugo Ektike to PSG, whilst L’Equipe were impressed with the attacker’s ‘sensational’ display against Lens as the youngster opened the scoring 72-minutes in with a close-range finish.
Also labelled as a ‘revelation’ for Reims by L’Equipe, Balogun’s performance have been quite remarkable for the Champagne-based side, and with fellow Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares also having a similar effect at Olympique Marseille, the Gunners seem to have once again found success in sending two talents out to France.
Indeed, last season saw both Matteo Guendouzi and Wiliam Saliba join Marseille on loan, and whilst the midfielder signing for the French giants permanently, the 21-year-old centre-back has since returned to Arsenal and become a staple for Mikel Arteta’s side this season, something Balogun will be hoping to do next year.
Balogun’s Reims form is getting too good for Arsenal to ignore
Arsenal this summer finally solved their striker problem with the signing of Gabriel Jesus and renewing Eddie Nketiah to a new deal, and whilst the pair have both impressed this season, Balogun’s form in France is almost becoming too good to ignore.
The attacker has bagged more goals for Reims than either Jesus or Nketiah this season, and should Balogun continue this form until the end of the season, the England youth international could give Arteta a selection headache next summer, especially if the Gunners finish in the top-four.
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