Balogun reveals his £38m Arsenal exit was 'out of his hands'

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Folarin Balogun reveals his £38m Arsenal exit was ‘out of his hands’- and says that Mikel Arteta ‘didn’t really say much’ to him following his impressive loan spell in Ligue 1

  • Folarin Balogun has made a fast start to life at Monaco with three goals in five 
  • The 22-year-old was determined to get first team football after starring last term
  • Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’

Folarin Balogun has spoken about his Arsenal departure and explained how his £38m move to Monaco was out o fhis control. 

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a promising start to life in the principality, scoring three in five league games as the side sit top of the standings. 

It is the striker’s second successive season in the division after his breakout campaign last term with Reims necessitated regular first team football upon completing his loan spell. 

The United States international finally shed some light on his Gunners exit after failing to force his way into Mikel Arteta’s plans and described his feelings after leaving the club where he graduated from the youth ranks.

‘[Arteta] didn’t really say much,’ Balogun told ESPN. ‘He just said that when I came back he just said well done, and he encouraged me to keep going.

Folarin Balogun was unable to force his way into the plans of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta

The 22-year-old has made a fast start to life with Monaco, acoring three goals in five outings

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Balogun chose to represent USMNT over England and has four caps and two goals to his name

‘Then me coming back in a preseason, it was just more about me seeing whether I fit into his plans and seeing if I can continue to play some games.

‘He said that he would try to get me involved as best as he could, but of course he also told me that the people higher up were making decisions on me and seeing what would be best for me.’ 

He continued: ‘It [his future up in the air] wasn’t something that made me feel anxious, it was just more a case of seeing what wanted to be done. It was out of my hands, that’s how I felt. It wasn’t something I could control.

‘The only thing I could do was just turn up to train and work hard. So I did that. And then after training, I enjoyed being back in London. I saw my friends, caught up with my family.’

Balogun has had a whirlwid 2023, from completing his impressive goalscoring season with 21 goals to being at the centre of an international tussle for his services. 

The forward chose to represent the country of his birth and is in line to add to his four caps and two goals in upcoming friendlies against Germany and Ghana.   

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.

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