Arsenal have a tale of producing producing fairy-tallish talents, who by far have been way beyond other academy players, of parallel age.
Folarin Balogun, another of Arsenal prospect is making a cosmic expression in the U-18s. Coming up the ranks and towards the pinnacle, Balogun is proving to be a challenge for Nketiah. The recent performances of the 16-year-old has kept Eddie on tenterhooks.
Already having a treat of a season for Arsenal U18, Balogun has scored 9 goals already in the 13 games played thus far. The England international of U17’s who is eligible to play for USA, Nigeria or even England is added to the new list of prolific youngster after the likes of Benik Afobe, Chuba Apkom, Stephi Mavididi and Eddie Nketiah. Of all the four only Nketiah has been able to maintain the tempo as that of the youth academy, while others have struggles like every academy graduate of Arsenal’s bygone history.
The centre-forward was born in New York to a Nigerian parent has been with the academy since the age of 10 after his family settled in London.
Balogun has also followed the steps of his predecessors until the youth academy, but if he wants to be a renowned act, he will have to perform as well as he has been in U18s. His performance has got him 4 games in U23 levels and also forced Arsenal to sign a contract with the youngster recently.
The player who recently signed his first professional contract said to the club website that, ”It feels really good. I’ve been at the club since I was young, so I’m just happy that I’ve been given the opportunity to push on,”
“It’s been a rollercoaster of a journey with a lot of ups and downs, but I’m glad that my hard work has been noticed and it’s starting to pay off.”
“Individually my goal is to finish the season as the top goalscorer in the U-18 Premier League.”
The highly-rated and equally adept striker with ample talent under his belt, Balogun can and should transcend his age to keep his competitor Nketiah on the toes if he fancies his chances of getting first-team experience. A talent with an X-factor infused within, Balogun’s finishing abilities will be of utmost importance for the player to rise up the ranks, easily and exponentially.
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