Folarin Balogun Shines in France, Receives Commendations from Thierry Henry

Folarin Balogun

Folarin Balogun steady progress at French club Reims, has attracted commendations from Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, especially for his pace, creativity and scoring prowess.
The 21-year-old striker and graduate of the Arsenal youth academy, joined Ligue 1 side Reims on a season-long loan in August has starred under Oscar Garcia with five goals and two assists from seven top-flight matches so far, filling the Hugo Ekitike void following the Frenchman’s loan move to Paris Saint-Germain.
The season has been amazing for the young striker in France with the England U21 international registering five goals and two assists in seven games.
Impressed by Balogun’s progress within weeks of moving to the French club, Henry, told Amazon Prime Video Sport France: ‘I’m really happy for him because in general English players don’t go abroad.
‘Normally players are loaned either to another Premier League side or in the Championship.
The young English striker has dominated the top French division since making a season-long loan switch to Reims in the summer transfer window. His impressive goal return has put him amongst the highest scorers in Europe.
Balogun has played 10 times for Arsenal across all competitions since making his debut in 2020-21 and will be hoping that he can use his time on loan to impress Mikel Arteta and break into the first team.
‘He’s a very English-style player who likes to run down the channels but he was missing something, which was his finishing.
‘He’s now starting to score goals regularly and I’m happy for that – happy he has gone abroad.
‘It’s especially so considering he is a Londoner, in general Londoners struggle to leave London.
‘When I heard he was coming to France, it made me think he has a refreshing mindset.’
The young Arsenal striker has shed light on the role played by Alexandre Lacazette in convincing him to move on loan to Reims.
“He’s a great player,” Balogun said of Lacazette in an interview with Amazon Prime Video Sport. “When he was at Arsenal he would always help me progress and improve, teaching me techniques and giving me advice.
“I remember speaking to Lacazette and he kept on telling me: you need to go to Ligue 1, you will do well here. Maybe he should become my agent as well because he has a great knowledge of football!”
The move is however not without its challenges as the player is making efforts to adjust to the new environment. “I’ve spent my whole career in London so when I came here I knew it was going to be different, I didn’t know the language and I’m still trying to learn – but for me, it’s important to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself,” Balogun said. “This is the reason I’m here and hopefully this decision will be good for me and pay off.”
So far, the England Under-21s international’s decision has paid off, with the striker among the top scorers in Ligue 1. If he continues to score at the rate he has so far, then Mikel Arteta should have no choice than to consider him part of his first-team plans when he returns to London at the end of the season.
He made his Premier League debut at the start of last season, starting against Brentford in a 2-0 defeat. That was one of just four appearances he made for the first team, though, and he ended the 2021-22 campaign on loan at Middlesbrough in the Championship.