Matt Turner has opened up on playing with Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun once more as the pair are reunited with USMNT this summer. The 21-year-old has been on red-hot form in Ligue 1 and is first hoping to make a big impression with his country.
Balogun announced last month that he was committing himself to the American football set-up having played for both England and USA in the youth systems. Born in New York, Balogun last played USA in 2018 and has feated 24 times for the junior Three Lions since then, scoring 10 times.
As his international future hit a crossroads, his domestic career is also reaching the same point with a major transfer decision still to be made this summer in north London. After scoring 21 times in France for Stade de Reims he has announced himself on the European stage.
READ MORE: Folarin Balogun transfer decision made that could mean Arsenal miss out on $44m deal
Despite this, his long-term prospects at the Emirates Stadium are far from clear with competition provided by Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus. Arsenal are also in the market for a new striker should the opportunity emerge. It only goes to muddy the water for Balogun, whose contract has two-years to run.
"I had a pre-season with him at Arsenal and we developed a pretty good relationship but then he left to go on loan. He scored lots of goals on his loan spell and he has done really, really well," Turner said of his international and club teammate. "It's someone to be excited about and I think that knowing his personality, he'll fit in well with the group."
Balogun was included in the 24-man squad for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League finals games against Mexico and one of Panama or Canada. It is a chance for him to not only continue his form and impress BJ Callaghan but also to show Mikel Arteta why he should be in with a shout of serious first team minutes next season.
"He's going to have to earn his right to play just like everybody else does and when he gets his chance hopefully he puts the ball in the back of the net," Turner admitted when asked if he would be going straight into the international side. His position for club and country are, in a way, very similar.
Turner added: "With Flo it's a great situation, it's another dual-national that the federation has gone out and been able to come play and that's not just the federation but it speaks really highly of the people we have in the locker room.
"Flo is a really talented player that's going to bring a fiery edge to the group, he's a super competitive guy and that fits in well with the people we have in this locker room already.
"Again, he's going to be a great addition and creates more competition at that No9 spot and when you have competition like that it elevates everyone else's game."
Arteta will be hoping that the same can happen with Nketiah providing solid back-up in the Premier League this season. The 23-year-old fellow Hale End graduate only scored four league goals, though. Arteta has also been far from clear as to what his plans for Balogun will be.
"[He needs] To focus on today, and focus on what he had been doing because he has been phenomenal," he said in April. "Keep doing what he has been doing and don’t focus on anything else, and everything else will come naturally.
"I would try to do what he has been doing because he’s been working really well for him and the team." Balogun has since penned a thanking farewell to Reims and manager WIll Still after a brilliant season for the French side. His hope is that it will be enough to convince Arteta to give him a chance.
The Spaniard has certainly taken notice, saying in February: “I’m so happy for him. He’s a boy that has a really clear idea of what he wants to do with his career. He’s really ambitious, really committed and really brave.
“We discussed a lot before he made that move whether it was the right place to go and the other choices he had. He was so convinced. I’m really happy for him because he deserves what he’s getting.
“When you look at the numbers and what he is doing, it’s just incredible. It’s very rare to see that. But he’s got something special, that’s why we decided to give him a long-term contract and have faith in him and give him the long period that he needs now, because the loan he is having now is really different to the one he had before at Middlesbrough.
“He had some scars from that period. There were moments when he suffered, moments when he played, and when he didn’t. Moments, when he played in what he believes, is not his best position. He threw all those excuses out and went into the next experience.
“He put that behind him, but using exactly what worked for him, what didn’t work, looked in the mirror and moved to the next one. He’s done that really, really well.”
It is set to be a big summer for Balogun but an exciting one, nonetheless.
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