Arsenal have always been a club that have supported young players and this season has been no different with Unai Emery affording chances to some young prospects.
There are still some hidden talents who haven’t yet made the transition to the senior level and it seems one of them have caught the attention of Arsenal’s star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Aubameyang was replying to a Twitter post on Folarin Balogun the young striker, where he said: “This young boy is fire.”
Balogun has been working with the Gabonese international and that is shown in his goal scoring rate this season as he has 22 goals from 23 games for the Under-18 team. Speaking to Arsenal’s official website, the youngster said:
“I am the sort of striker that likes to play on the shoulder of the last defender and make runs behind them, similar to the way that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang plays.”
“I’ve trained a few times with the first team and I feel that I’ve benefited from being involved with them, especially when playing against experienced defenders which forces you to find different ways of getting in on goal as what works at lower levels does not always work against them.”
Balogun has been very impressive in his time with the youth team and it is predicted that he will feature for the first team sooner rather than later.
What makes his path to the first team a little hard is the presence of Aubameyang and Alexander Lacazette. This along with Eddie Nketiah, another talented youngster in the first team, makes it hard for Balogun to get a look in.
If anything, it is a possibility that Balogun will be given a chance next season in the Arsenal first team. There are a few games remaining in the season but to see the youngster play is a little far-fetched.
It is also better for the development of the youngster to play at the youth level and improve his game. Once the manager feels that he is ready to make the next step, he can be brought into the team. This will ensure that Balogun is able to fire for the first team and there will not be too much pressure on him as well.
