With Arsenal so far exceeding expectations this season, it's no surprise that much of the attention has been on Mikel Arteta and his current set of players. However, one loanee, in particular, was eager to gain his own spotlight away from north London.
It's been a challenging couple of years for Folarin Balogun, who has struggled to stamp down a place in the Gunners' first-team squad despite signing a new four-year deal in 2021. It had become clear that the forward was ready to take the next step up from academy level, but with others ahead of him in the pecking order, that was always going to prove difficult to achieve at Arsenal.
A much-needed loan move to Championship side Middlesbrough last season probably didn't work out as well as Balogun would have liked it to, ending the 2021/22 campaign with just three goals to his name across 21 appearances. As they often say though, experiencing difficult moments only makes you stronger, and Balogun is certainly proving that to be true.
