Folarin Balogun may not have enjoyed watching events unfold at the Parc des Princes on Sunday afternoon.
The Arsenal youngster is currently enjoying a fine loan spell in France with Reims and went into this weekend's round of fixtures as the leading scorer across Ligue 1 with 15 goals having netted seven times in eight appearances - including a last minute equaliser against Paris Saint-Germain - since the World Cup.
And as Balogun was in action on Saturday afternoon against Nice, who were without the injured Nicolas Pepe, the 21-year-old had the chance to send a message to his rivals such as Kylian Mbappe, Jonathan David, Neymar and Lionel Messi by stretching his lead at the top of the scoring charts
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In fact, he had a golden opportunity to bring up goal number 16 when Reims were awarded a penalty in the second half against Nice. Unfortunately, the striker was denied by a familiar name to Premier League viewers as Kasper Schmeichel, formerly of Leicester City and Man City, guessed correctly to save the spot kick.
Whilst the visitors can certainly look back on the game as view it has two points dropped, Balogun reacted to the result on social media shortly afterward and opted to focus on the positives: "Disappointed to not get the win but a performance we can be proud of!" he wrote on Instagram. "16 games unbeaten."
However, a couple of days after the Balogun setback PSG and Lille played out a seven goal thriller with Mbappe netting a brace, David converting a penalty and Messi clinching the victory with a trademark free-kick in the fifth minute of second half injury time.
What this means for the Ligue 1 top goalscorer standings is Balogun, Mbappe and David are all tied with 15 goals. Messi is a bit further back on 11 whilst ex-Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette has rediscovered a ruthless streak by netting 14 times since returning to Lyon on a free transfer.
With plenty of games remaining of the league campaign, the race to be recognised as the most prolific striker in the top flight of French football will continue and the fact the Gunners' loanee is even in the conversation is a testament to how well he's to the challenge.
Of course, Balogun's form will almost certainly give Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta something to think about with regard to finalising his squad plans for the 2023/24 campaign as Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah could soon have extra competition for the central striker role.
"So happy for him. He’s a boy with a really clear idea of what he wants to do in his career," the Spaniard said of the youngster recently. "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."
It's worth pointing out that the Premier League rule with regard to Balogun as the fact he must be named in next season's 25-man squad if he is to get a chance under Arteta effectively guarantees a decision regarding his short-term future will be made at some point in the summer transfer window
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