Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says Folarin Balogun has “something special” as he hailed the young striker’s “incredible” form on loan at Reims.
Balogun joined the French side on a season-long deal last summer and has been a revelation so far, scoring 14 goals in 21 appearances.
The 21-year-old sits atop the Ligue 1 scoring charts, a goal clear of PSG star Kylian Mbappe and former Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette.
“I’m so happy for him,” Arteta said. “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 and other choices that he had. He was so convinced and I’m really happy for him because he deserves what he’s getting.”
Balogun came through the Gunners’ Hale End youth academy as an extremely highly-rated prospect but at one stage looked set to leave the club before signing a new long-term contract in 2021.
Arteta continued: “Obviously, when you look at the numbers and what he’s doing it’s just incredible, and very rare to see that. But he’s got something special, that’s why we gave him a long-term contract and have faith in him.”
Balogun spent the second half of last season on loan at Championship Middlesbrough, scoring three times in 18 appearances, though only nine of those came from the start.
“The period he’s having now is different to the one before at Middlesbrough,” Arteta said. “But that one was very necessary to see the outcome that he’s having now.
“He had some scars from that period. There were moments when he suffered, moments where he played, moments where he didn’t play, moments where he played but he believed he wasn’t in his best position and throw all the excuses out. It’s a proper experience to add to the next one.
“That’s what he did, put that behind him but using what worked for him, what didn’t work for him, look in the mirror and go to the next one.”
Arsenal will face a decision over Balogun’s future come the summer, with the forward sure to be keen on regular playing time but behind both Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah in the Emirates pecking-order.
“The plan is that he finishes his period [at Reims], assess the situation where he is, where we are, then sit down and plan the next chapter in his developing career,” Arteta added.
