Mikel Arteta’s decision to keep faith with Eddie Nketiah appears to have paid off already despite Arsenal legend Ian Wright backing Folarin Balogun to have a breakthrough season with the Gunners.
American international Balogun spent last season on loan with French side Reims, scoring 21 goals in 37 Ligue 1 appearances with only Jonathan David and Kylian Mbappe scoring more, but his route into the Arsenal first team was blocked by the emergence of fellow striker Nketiah.
Despite the competition for places, former Highbury favourite Wright went on record to back Balogun to make an impact in the Premier League.
Speaking on Wright’s House podcast in March, he said: “Hopefully he can come back to Arsenal at some stage and prove himself. He’s gone to another level in confidence.
“I think anywhere he goes in aspect of leagues; he’ll do what he is doing (in France) with the right service. It’s the way he’s taking those chances. His head space is at a different place right now. He knows he can do it right now.
“I guarantee you if he comes back, he probably picks up from what he’s doing in that league.”
But after making it clear in the summer that he would not accept another loan deal, 22-year-old Balogun was sold to Monaco for a reported £38m. So far he has scored three goals in his first seven appearances but also missed two penalties in the same match against Nice.
Arteta’s decision to cash in on a player who has been with the North London club since the age of eight can be best measured by the progress of Nketiah and the early signs are that the Spanish coach made the right decision.
The 24-year-old has been in good form for Arsenal and took his game to another level at the weekend, scoring a hat-trick against Sheffield United in a 5-0 win that keeps the Gunners hot on the heels of local rivals and Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
Nketiah already has more goals (five) this season than he managed in 30 Premier League appearances during the previous campaign.
Match of the Day pundit Wright, was only too happy to heap praise on the forward after his Man of the Match performance against the Blades. Speaking on the popular football highlights show, Wright said: “He was coming into a team where there is a lot of rotation. He is not always playing with the major first team guys, but you want to be playing with the players who are going to make you those chances.
“I thought he was fantastic [against Sheffield United]. I like it when he stays in and around the area, and he looked very sharp. The defenders were very poor but, at the same time, he was very sharp.
“It’s about having composure and think that is what Eddie has got.He is very aggressive and I don’t think Luke Thomas was strong enough to deal with the mood Eddie was in.
“What I like about his last goal was the confidence. Instead of getting tight to Nketiah, the defender has dropped off him and Eddie has not even thought twice from 25 yards out. That is where the confidence comes in and that’s what you want him to take into every single game.
“You want him to take those chances, get those kinds of opportunities, and smash it like that. I’m delighted for him.”
