Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal should ‘probably’ have granted Folarin Balogun a loan transfer ‘earlier’ than January when he finally joined Middlesbrough, via quotes by football.london.
The Spaniard chose to keep Balogun in north London over the first half of the season after promoting the striker into a first-team role. He had made his senior debut last term and his potential stood out at the Emirates Stadium before signing a long-term contract extension.
But the decision backfired, somewhat, with the 20-year-old only featuring four times for a total of 133 minutes. His appearances also only included one Premier League start and one in the Carabao Cup. Arteta also omitted Balogun from 18 top-flight squads after game two.
Middlesbrough successfully capitalised on Balogun’s lack of minutes at Arsenal during the January window to secure his loan transfer. The New York-born gem has relished life at the Riverside Stadium, as well, with 15 appearances from 15 games in all competitions so far.
He has also scored twice and provided two assists in the Championship under Chris Wilder. Balogun’s first Boro goal came off the bench in a 4-1 loss against promotion rivals Sheffield United earlier this month. Boro trail the Blades, and sit two points from the play-off places.
He also faced Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea as the Teesside natives reached the FA Cup quarter-finals. And while Balogun could not score against either top-six Premier League, Ian Wright dubbed him ‘unbelievable’ before Balogun started the Old Trafford tie.
Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal should ‘probably’ have loaned out Balogun ‘earlier’
Given how Balogun has started with Middlesbrough, Arteta now feels Arsenal should have sanctioned a loan transfer sooner. As while his and Wilder’s systems differ, a chance to play regular first-team football in a Championship side eying promotion is hugely beneficial.
“I think Flo is doing what he’s needing to do,” Arteta said. “Probably, we should have done it earlier. He’s playing a different formation under a manager and a club with huge history. This is giving us more information and detail about the best move for him in his future.”
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