Ian Wright has questioned how Folarin Balogun will be feeling as the loaned-out Arsenal star watches his parent club sit at the top of the Premier League table.
The 21-year-old is on a season-long loan deal at Reims where he has 10 goals from 18 Ligue 1 games, although, he will feel he probably could have been a part of this current Mikel Arteta team.
At the start of last season, when the Gunners were amazingly enough losing their first three games of the season and recovering from a spate of injury issues, Balogun was handed a chance, but he failed to knock the door down hard enough to even be a back-up.
Now, Arsenal are sitting at the top of the tree in English football and they have an eight-point lead to second-placed Manchester City after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on Sunday in the north London derby.
It’s Balogun’s fellow Hale-End teammate, Eddie Nketiah, leading the line during Gabriel Jesus’ injury and he did put on a strong showing against Spurs, including missing several guilt-edge chances.
Nonetheless, with Arteta looking for that attacker this month, Wright spoke about Balogun and what he needs to do when he gets back to the club, as he told the Kelly and Wrighty Show on Premier League Productions (16/01/23 at 2:20 pm).
“Could you imagine how Balogun feels?” said Wright. “He is out there thinking ‘I have got to get myself back to that place’, so hopefully he will be playing better.
“At the moment, everything is moving smoothly (for Arsenal in the Premier League).”
SHOULD ARSENAL RECALL BALOGUN?
The Premier League leaders wanted the inexperienced rising Ukraine star Mykhailo Mudryk, but money-crazy Chelsea put the required money on the table instead.
So, what next for Edu Gaspar and Co? That forward option, with Jesus out for the long-term, is still needed.
Do they still search the transfer market for another option or do they recall someone like Balogun? At the end of the day, he has more games, a proven record and know-how under his belt than Mudryk. Plus he’s bang in form.
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