Arsenal star Folarin Balogun has returned to French Ligue 1 as he completes a switch to Monaco after over a decade at Arsenal.
Balogun, who recently switched his national team from England to USA, struggled for a starting berth at Arsenal and was set to leave the club this summer.
After returning from his loan spell at Reims, he was yet to make an appearance for Arsenal. The former England U-21 player was still below Arteta’s pecking order at Arsenal behind the other attacking midfielders like Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard, and Kai Havertz.
Falling off the Gunners pecking order, Balogun was set for Arsenal exit this summer with a return to French Ligue 1 on the table after his brilliant loan spell at Reims.
Ligue 1 giants Monaco were on the trail of the attacker as they hope to bolster their attacking options as the 2023/23 French Ligue 1 gets underway.
Arsenal were open for Balogun’s exit but wanted an outright sale of the player not a loan deal. He was yet to feature for the Gunners’ in their current campaign and was obviously set for a spell on the peripheries should he stay at the club. Hence, Arsenal wanted a full exit solution.
London rivals, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were linked with a move for Balogun, including Fulham who were in search of a replacement for Saudi-bound Aleksandar Mitrovic but Monaco were ahead of other suitors in the race for the youngster.
After a round of talks and negotiations, Monaco reached agreement with Arsenal for the player in a deal worth £34m. Meanwhile, the USA international had agreed terms with the French Ligue 1 giants for a five-year deal till 2028.
Folarin Balogun had most goals in Europe’s top five leagues last season for players aged 21 and under
Despite his dwindling fortunes at the Emirates, Balogun headlined the list of young strikers who were breaking grounds in Europe top five leagues last season.
Among players aged 21 and under, Balogun had the most goals as an Arsenal loanee at Reims. He scored 21 French Ligue 1 goals for Reims; two more than Elye Wahi of Montpelier.
Arsenal duo, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo made the top five names with 15 and 14 goals respectively while Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala had 12 goals.
Folarin Balogun Arsenal career
Folarin Balogun joined Arsenal as a teenager at the age of 7, playing for the club’s academy for 12 years before his break-in into Arsenal first team in 2020.
He made his senior club debut for Arsenal on 29 October 2020 and has made only 2 Premier League appearances for the club since his break-in.
After a two-year struggle to break into Arsenal lineup, Balogun was loaned to Middlesbrough in 2022 in the Championships where he made 18 appearances for the club, scoring 3 goals.
His second loan spell was at Reims in French Ligue 1 where he starred as the most prolific youngster with most goals in Europe’s top five leagues with 21 goals.
The exciting young forward will be hoping to continue in his prolific form as he opens a new chapter with Monaco.
