Have you heard the story about the English player who is set to give Arsenal a "positive headache" and outscored Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar in France?
Folarin Balogun is now the focus of a lot of attention after Reims signed a striker on loan from Arsenal who had scored three goals for Middlesbrough last season.
The England Under-21 forward leads the French Ligue 1 with 14 goals for a team in the middle of the table coached by fellow Englishman Will Still, who is only 30 years old and has never played professional football.
In the past ten days, Balogun has scored a hat trick and an extra-time equalizer against Paris St. Germain.
The England Under-21 forward leads the French Ligue 1 with 14 goals for a team in the middle of the table coached by fellow Englishman Will Still, who is only 30 years old and has never played professional football.
In the past ten days, Balogun has scored a hat trick and an extra-time equalizer against Paris St. Germain.
Julien Laurens, a writer who writes about football in France, said, "The goals are great, but it is everything else." When you look at a striker, you focus on the goals. However, his movement, awareness, and intelligence are just as important.
Have you heard the story about the English player who is set to give Arsenal a "positive headache" and outscored Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar in France?
Folarin Balogun is now the focus of a lot of attention after Reims signed a striker on loan from Arsenal who had scored three goals for Middlesbrough last season.
The England Under-21 forward leads the French Ligue 1 with 14 goals for a team in the middle of the table coached by fellow Englishman Will Still, who is only 30 years old and has never played professional football.
In the past ten days, Balogun has scored a hat trick and an extra-time equalizer against Paris St. Germain.
Julien Laurens, a writer who writes about football in France, said, "The goals are great, but it is everything else." When you look at a striker, you focus on the goals. However, his movement, awareness, and intelligence are just as important.
Only Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Victor Osimhen have scored more goals this season than Balogun has in Europe's top five leagues.
When Still took over from Oscar Garcia as caretaker manager on October 13, Reims had only won one game, but they haven't lost since.
The 21-year-old has scored five goals in his first six games under Garcia, an impressive start to his time in France.
The significance of Balogun to this Reims team cannot be overstated. He has been responsible for 14 out of their 26 league goals, which is the highest percentage of any player for a team in Europe's top five leagues.
This season, only six Reims players have scored in the league. Junya Ito, their next highest scorer, has scored four times.
Still stated, "He is a super complete striker." He can play deep and with his back to the goal. He wins and takes the lead."
The only English player to score more goals in a Ligue 1 season is Glenn Hoddle, who scored 18 goals for Monaco in 1988-89. To break that record and score five goals, Balogun only needs to play 16 games.
What will Balogun do next?
Given Arsenal's five-point lead over Chelsea at the top of the Premier League, Balogun could be returning to the English champions this summer based on his current form.
"What are Arsenal's plans for him?" inquired Laurens. Do you loan him, sell him, or give him a spot on the team?
"He would be a positive headache for Arsenal, an incredible talent, and a lot of money."
Eddie Nketiah, the Gunners' primary striker at the moment with Gabriel Jesus out with an injury, is two years older than Balogun, who signed a four-year contract at Emirates Stadium in 2021.
With nine goals across all competitions this season, Nketiah leads Arsenal in goals scored. Jesus has five goals.
This season, Balogun has scored 15 times, one of which came in his French Cup debut.
He had played for Arsenal ten times over the previous two seasons, so he would not be making a fresh start at Arsenal.
Balogun played for the club in two Carabao Cup quarterfinal matches and scored in Europa League matches against Molde and Dundalk.
He told L'Equipe earlier this season, "Arsenal is my family." The club is a symbol of brotherhood and unity to me.
"I think I'll be in a better position to compete when I return than when I left. I came to the realization that there were some things I would struggle with, which I believe is a positive thing."
Could there also be a shift in nationality? In October, he told the BBC that if Nigeria called him up, he would think about playing for them. He was raised in England, where he has represented England at four youth levels, despite being born in the United States to Nigerian parents.
If he did that, he would become part of a good group. Ademola Lookman, a forward for Nigeria who used to play for England's Under-21 team, is Atalanta's second-leading scorer in Serie A.
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