Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has weighed in on Folarin Balogun’s development during his loan spell at Ligue 1 side Reims.
The 21-year-old is currently the top goalscorer in the French division, ahead of starlet Kylian Mbappe and former Gunner Alexandre Lacazette.
Balogun seemingly has the potential to play a key role for Arsenal upon his return and join a young squad filled with several academy graduates, including Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe. Having been at the club since 2008, Balogun will be keen on making a statement in the first-team and cementing his place in the senior setup.
Arteta said in his pre-match conference this week, via the Arsenal website: “So happy for him [Balogun]. He’s a boy with a really clear idea of what he wants to do in his career. Really ambitious, really committed and he’s really brave. We discussed before whether it was the right place to go [on loan to Reims] and other choices that he had. He was so convinced and I’m really happy for him because he deserves what he’s getting.”
Arsenal’s season so far
Meanwhile, the Gunners are flying at the top of the Premier League and currently sit five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, having played one less match. Nketiah has been leading the line in recent weeks due to the absence of Gabriel Jesus, though the No.9 is set to return from injury soon.