Arsenal boss celebrates Balogun being Ligue 1 top marksman, admits Boro loan was challenging :: All Nigeria Soccer
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta at his press conference ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Brentford did touch on the impressive form of England Under-21 international, Folarin Balogun.
Born to Nigerian parents which makes him a potential candidate for the Super Eagles attacking position in need of quality support for Napoli star, Victor Osimhen, Balogun has been in impressive form for on-loan side, Reims in the French topflight.
The Arsenal youngster who was born in the United States of America and therefore is also attracting attention from the USA Soccer Federation as well as the English FA having grown up and gained football education in the UK has scored 14 league goals in the French Ligue 1.
Mikel Arteta on Friday celebrated the feat of Balogun and believes that his rising star is primed for a big future.
Arteta highlighted the mental toughness the young striker has gained after a challenging period of his career especially from his previous loan experiences.
“He (Balogun) had some scars from that period (at Middlesbrough) there were moments when he suffered, moments when he played, and when he didn’t,” Arteta was quoted as saying by Arsenal’s official website.
“Moments when he played in what he believes is not his best position.
“He threw all those excuses out and go onto the next experience and that’s what he did. He put that behind him, but using exactly what worked for him, what didn’t work, look in the mirror and move to the next one. He’s done that really, really well.
On being the top scorer in Ligue 1 with 14 goals and above France superstar Kylian Mbappe , Arteta had this to say about Balogun.
“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.
Balogun will be in action this weekend in the league as he seeks to score more goals for Reims.
Izuchukwu Michael
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