Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun has shed light on the role played by Alexandre Lacazette in convincing him to move on loan to Reims.
Balogun made his Premier League debut at the start of last season, starting against Brentford in a 2-0 defeat. That was one of just four appearances he made for the first team, though, and he ended the 2021-22 campaign on loan at Middlesbrough in the Championship.
Since moving to Reims as a replacement for PSG-bound Hugo Ekitike, Balogun has been in fine goalscoring form with five in his first six appearances. And the 21-year-old, who also made his England under-21 debut in 2021, has opened up on the advice offered by former teammate Lacazette.
"He's a great player," Balogun said of Lacazette in an interview with Amazon Prime Video Sport. "When he was at Arsenal he would always help me progress and improve, teaching me techniques and giving me advice.
"I remember speaking to Lacazette and he kept on telling me: you need to go to Ligue 1, you will do well here. Maybe he should become my agent as well because he has a great knowledge of football!"
Reims have endured a tough start to the season, winning just one of their first six games in Ligue 1. Balogun scored from the penalty spot in that 4-2 win at Angers, though, as well as netting against Marseille, Clermont, Strasbourg and Lens.
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Balogun has also spoken of the need to broaden his horizons with the move abroad. He is far from the first Arsenal academy talent to spend time on loan in another European League, with Emile Smith Rowe spending time at RB Leipzig, Ainsley Maitland-Niles finishing last season at Roma and Reiss Nelson having stints in Germany and The Netherlands.
"I've spent my whole career in London so when I came here I knew it was going to be different, I didn't know the language and I'm still trying to learn – but for me, it's important to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself," Balogun said. "This is the reason I’m here and hopefully this decision will be good for me and pay off."
Lacazette, meanwhile, has been back among the goals himself since returning to Lyon after five years away. The former Arsenal record signing drew a blank against Balogun's Reims side in August, but has scored three times in five Ligue 1 appearances this term.
They aren't the only two players with Arsenal connections to find themselves among the goals in Ligue 1. Alexis Sanchez is also on three for the season after leaving Inter Milan for Marseille, while Nuno Tavares - a teammate of the Chilean after joining on loan from the Gunners - also has three.
