'Arsenal is my family' - Balogun on being trained at the Gunners, brilliant start to the season

England U21 international of Nigerian descent Folarin Balogun considers himself a product of Arsenal. 

Balogun joined Stade de Reims on a season-long loan in August without a purchase and recall clause included in the deal bringing him to the six-time French champions. 

The Anglo-American-Nigerian striker has been on the books of the Gunners for fourteen years, rising through the ranks before making his professional debut in a Europa League clash against Dundalk in October 2020.

He has highlighted that there is unity in the Arsenal squad and praised the club for their training methods. 

"Arsenal is my family! For me, this club represents fraternity and unity. I learned to always push my limits," Balogun said in an interview with L'Equipe on Saturday, via L'Union. 

"What I remember from my training is the constant desire to make us progress technically. For example, we had to control the ball for 45 minutes without ever letting it fall to the ground. I did this exercise again on Thursday in training."
 

Balogun has made a brilliant start to his career with Reims and is their leading scorer in the French Ligue 1 with six goals in eleven appearances, but he wants to do better. 

"I am not surprised to be performing. I'm mostly upset when I'm not on a regular basis. I had quite a few obstacles to overcome when I arrived (August 3).

"I first lived at the hotel, where there was also Junya I to, who arrived just before me and with whom I developed a very good relationship both on and off the pitch.

"I was disconnected from my family and my friends, but Miguel (Comminges, Reims sports coordinator) and Marshall Munetsi, an exceptional man, helped me to integrate quickly.

"In addition, I had studied the game of Reims and I knew that it would be crucial to be hyper clinical, given the low number of opportunities that we get," he added. 

Balogun spent the second half of last season on loan at Championship outfit Middlesbrough FC, for whom he scored 3 goals in twenty one appearances. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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