Unable to find himself a space in Mikel Arteta’s plans at Arsenal this season, Folarin Balogun decided to look elsewhere for game time this season.
Having lost Hugo Ekitike to Paris Saint-Germain, Stade de Reims needed a new striker, and seemingly jumped at the opportunity to bring in the Gunners’ youngster for the season on loan.
It was always a gamble, as there was no way of knowing how well the Arsenal forward would adapt, but it’s one that has massively paid off so far.
The 21-year-old has been the star of the show for the French side, scoring five goals and assisting another two in six Ligue 1 games to date.
He once again found the back of the net at the weekend against RC Lens; a game in which L’Equipe described him as a ‘constant menace’.
They add that ‘as well as his efficiency, the variety of his movements’ and his newfound partnership with teammate Junya Ito have impressed everyone at the club, including his captain, Yunis Abdelhamid, who praised his desire to always ‘receive the ball with his back to goal’ before constantly ‘restarting behind the back of the defence once he’s laid it off’.
While Stade de Reims have only picked up six points from six games so far, they would be far worse off without him, as the England U21 international is now seen as a ‘complete centre-forward, very mobile and fine on a technical level’.
