By the time the next World Cup arrives, we will surely see many new stars as the generation of Lionel Messis, and Cristiano Ronaldos hang up their boots. This season has already shown us some players who have come out, and one of them is Folarin Balogun. The striker at Rennes on loan from Arsenal has set alight the Ligue 1.
Last season, another Arsenal loanee William Saliba helped Marseille finish second in Ligue 1. Saliba is now an integral part of Mikel Arteta’s defence that has helped the Gunners establish a five-point lead at the top of the table as they look for their first Premier League title in 18 years.
And from his performance, Folarin Balogun is just showing us how threatening Arsenal’s attack will be from next summer. So, who is Folarin Balogun, and how good is he?
How good is Folarin Balogun?
Folarin Balogun was born in New York to Nigerian parents who migrated to England when he was just two years old. As a result, internationally, Balogun is eligible to represent England, Nigeria and the United States. Aged just eight, his parents enrolled him in Arsenal’s academy, where he spent his entire youth career.
He made his debut for Arsenal under 18 in the 2016-17 season, making one appearance against Liverpool. However, his next season would be phenomenal as he scored nine goals and provided three assists in 14 matches for the under-18s. He would also make appearances for the under-23s and the FA Youth Cup, scoring one and two goals, respectively.
Balogun would bring his most lethal form the following season, scoring 25 goals and providing four assists in 18 games. He was the second-highest goalscorer behind Ellis Simms of Everton.
These two seasons made the club promote him permanently to the under-23s, where he scored ten goals and provided four assists in 15 matches. In addition, he was also named on the bench for Arsenal’s first team in a 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup.
In 2020-21 he would finally get a taste of first-team football as he made his debut in the EFL Cup against Ipswich, where he also scored his first goal. And while he was not given any chances in the Premier League, he would play in the Europa League.
Folarin Balogun stats
In his first senior season with Arsenal, Balogun scored three goals, one in the EFL Cup and two in the Europa League. After that, however, he was deemed surplus to requirements by Mikel Arteta, who sent him out on loan to Championship side Middlesborough. A return of only…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at FootTheBall…