Arsenal have Alexandre Lacazette to partly thank for the £34million they received for Folarin Balogun this summer. The USMNT star says he developed his game by studying the Frenchman while he was coming through the ranks at the Emirates.
The pair only played nine minutes together on the field, a League Cup clash against AFC Wimbledon back in September 2021, but they spent a fair bit of time together on the training ground where Lacazette was always on hand to give the young striker his advice.
Now, they are set to reunite on Friday evening as Balogun’s AS Monaco take on Lacazette’s Lyon in a Ligue 1 clash. Speaking about his former team-mate ahead of the match, Balogun said: “When I was with Arsenal, I spoke with Lacazette a lot.
“Of course, I was a young player coming through, so he was in a position where he was giving me advice and helping me. We spoke a lot and every time we faced Lyon, it was a nice opportunity to catch up with him and I’m sure it’ll be no different when we play them this Friday.
“He’s a very clinical finisher,” he added. “Also, his approach to the game from deep, his link-up play, I’ve looked at that and studied how he always has so much time and space when he comes to feet, so I think I’ve learnt this from him and it is something that I have added to my game.”
Balogun moved to Monaco in August on a five-year deal following an impressive spell on loan at Reims where he bagged 21 goals in 37 league games. The 22-year-old never really got a chance to show what he was made of in north London, making only 10 senior appearances for his boyhood club.
But when the opportunity presented itself for him to get some regular game time at Monaco, Balogun gladly grabbed the opportunity with both hands. The £34m fee Balogun commanded was one of the largest sums Arsenal have ever received for an outgoing player and helped recoup some valuable funds after a summer of heavy spending.
Balogun has got off to a decent start to life at the Louis II Stadium, contributing four goals and three assists in his first 12 games for the French giants. The fee Arsenal received for Balogun appears to be a fair valuation of what the player is worth at this stage in his career.
