Folarin Balogun believes that he has become a more mature player since joining Middlesbrough on loan in January but the striker remains focused on areas he feels require further improvement if he is to break into Arsenal’s first team next year.
Having said that he has outgrown academy football in the last transfer window, Balogun has since made a dozen appearances for promotion-chasing Boro and provided two goals. That has coincided with Mikel Arteta’s putting themselves in prime position to seal a Champions League return for the first time since 2016.
The 20-year-old scored his second for England Under-21 against Andorra on Friday night and will lead the line for Lee Carsley’s team away to Albania tomorrow, providing another chance to impress. While Balogun finds the Gunners’ improvements “really exciting … from the outside looking in”, there are no regrets around his decision to move to the Riverside and get a regular taste of men’s football.
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“Any single player would love to be in a side playing well,” he said of his parent club. “It makes your job easier. I'm looking at them but also concentrating on what I need to do to get into the team and add my qualities. From the outside looking in it's very good.”
Balogun seems to be relishing the added pressure as Boro sit two points off the play-offs with two games in hand. There is no room for error and the scrutiny compared to Under-23 football, where he admits to getting away with things on occasion, is pushing him to higher levels of performance.
“My game's definitely become a lot more mature,” he said. Playing Under-23s I could get away with things sometimes. Transitioning to men's football I've noticed you need to play with your head a bit more and know when to do certain things. My game's come on but I know there's still a lot more I can do to improve.
“The biggest thing for me is it means a bit more. It means more the higher you go up. Losing the ball now gives the opposition a chance to score, a chance to do something with the ball that can harm you. There's more pressure on it and with that pressure you need to be smarter not to be in that situation.
“It's the environment. There's no hiding, especially at Middlesbrough, we're trying to get promoted. That's the aim of the club. I've come in and had to adapt to it. It's a good pressure to be around. It's not something I shy away from.”
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang departed after Balogun’s loan, leaving Arsenal with only Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah as recognised No9s. Neither are guaranteed to remain next season and Arteta has occasionally used Emile Smith Rowe as a false nine in recent weeks. “Every player has a different journey,” he added. “Looking at mine, at the time a loan was the right thing to do so I went ahead and done it.”
And this has to be better than sitting on the bench waiting for limited minutes at the Emirates? “Most definitely. It's an opportunity to learn. Any opportunity to learn is worth it.I wouldn't say I go into games thinking I need to impress. I'm in this position because of my quality. It's not something I need to show I just need to do it on a more consistent basis.”
