Mikel Arteta opens up about the great form of Folarin Balogun

Mikel Arteta has been full of praise for Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun, who has been in impressive form since joining French side Reims on a season-long loan last summer. The 21 year old forward has scored 14 goals in 21 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, and Arteta is delighted with his progress.

The Arsenal boss believes that Balogun is a player with a clear idea of what he wants to achieve in his career, and is full of ambition and commitment. He was also impressed with the youngster’s bravery in deciding to move abroad for the season, despite having other options available to him.

“I’m so happy for him. He’s a boy with a really clear idea of what he wants to do in his career. Really ambitious, really committed and he’s really brave.” said Mikel Arteta as per Evening Standard.

“We discussed before whether it was the right place to go and other choices that he had. He was so convinced and I’m really happy for him because he deserves what he’s getting.”

Arteta has been keen to ensure that all of his loaned players are getting regular game time and developing their skills, and this is certainly true of Balogun. He has been given plenty of opportunities to impress at Reims, and it appears that he is taking them with both hands.

The Spaniard will be hoping that Balogun can continue his good form when he returns to Arsenal at the end of the season. Balogun’s performances have also caught the eye of other clubs across Europe, so it will be interesting to see what happens with him over the coming months. For now though, Arteta will be pleased that one of his loaned players is doing so well away from North London.