Ligue 1 loanee Folarin Balogun admits he was fearful of being let go by Premier League giants Arsenal before embarking upon a remarkable ‘transformation’ at youth level, speaking to the Ligue 1 website.
The New York-born forward has a history when it comes to proving the doubters wrong. Following a difficult stint at Middlesbrough earlier this year, few would have imagined that Balogun would be keeping pace with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and co in France’s top flight during his next loan spell away from the Emirates Stadium.
Balogun has eight goals in 12 Ligue 1 starts this season. A tally which looks all-the-more impressive when you consider he is leading the line not for PSG, Marseille or Monaco, but for mid-table Reims.
The 21-year-old poacher could hardly be doing more to catch the eye of Mikel Arteta, then, as he looks to compete for a place in the Arsenal squad with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah at some point in the near future.
To think, Balogun was once in danger of being left by the wayside during his time in the U16s, before taking the coaching staff by surprise with an explosion of goals. Talk about the penny dropping.
Folarin Balogun could have a very bright future at Arsenal
“Yes,” Balogun responds when asked if he ever feared for his future in North London.
“From the age of 16, Arsenal offers a scholarship to some of its players. The season before I turned 16, I was one of the worst players in my team. I wasn’t playing very well. At the end of the season, I had a discussion with the coaches and it wasn’t very positive.
“They told me that I was not at the level they expected. I thought they weren’t going to keep me. It made me think, but I told myself I only had two options: go hard or go home. And, at 16, I had my best season ever.
“I was the top scorer in the team, I must have scored 40 goals. Even I was shocked at the transformation.”
Balogun, who joined Arsenal’s academy back in 2008, credits his sudden improvement for being moved from out wide to a more central role, scoring twice in his first outing through the middle. The rest, as they say…
“By playing up front, I learned the basics of the position,” Balogun adds. “And I had a lot of excellent role models in front of me. For a few weeks, Thierry Henry even came to coach the youngsters at the academy. I was shocked by how good he was!
“And a little later, in the first team, I was training with Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in particular. They gave me a lot of advice.”
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