Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has raved about Folarin Balogun on the club’s official website and has been impressed by how well the striker is doing on loan at Reims at the moment.
Balogun joined French club Reims on loan from Premier League outfit Arsenal in the summer of 2022.
The 21-year-old striker has been superb for Reims in Ligue 1 so far this season.
The England Under-21 international has scored 14 goals and provided one assist in 21 Ligue 1 games so far this campaign.
Balogun has found the back of the net in the French top flight more than Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette (a former Arsenal player) and Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe.
Mikel Arteta on Arsenal-owned Reims striker Folarin Balogun
Arteta said about Balogun: “I’m so happy for him. He’s a boy that has a really clear idea of what he wants to do with his career.
“He’s really ambitious, really committed and really brave. We discussed a lot before he made that move whether it was the right place to go and the other choices he had.
“He was so convinced. I’m really happy for him because he deserves what he’s getting.”
The Arsenal boss added: “I am very pleased and when you look at the numbers and what he is doing it’s just incredible. It’s very rare to see that.
“But he’s got something special, that’s why we decided to give him a long-term contract and have faith in him and give him the long period that he needs now, because the one (loan) he is having now is really different to the one he had before at Middlesbrough.
“But that one was very necessary to see the outcome of what he is having now.”
Exciting
In our view, Folarin Balogun doing so well in Ligue 1 is very exciting and encouraging for Arsenal fans.
Let us not forget that the English striker is only 21.
And he is already outscoring Mbappe, one of the best footballers on the planet.
That is something.
Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah are the two main strikers at Arsenal at the moment.
Balogun will give Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta another good option in attack next season.
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