FOLARIN BALOGUN

AGE: 18 CLUB: ARSENAL POSITION: CENTRE FORWARD VALUE: £1.5M WHAT’S HE GOT?

BETWEEN Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah and Balogun, Arsenal are well stocked with emerging strikers. The Dagenham-born teenager will need luck, good advice and an injury-free run, but he seems destined for a fair career and could even persuade the Gunners to consider moving on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before long. Having starred for the Under 18s last season, Balogun is ready to make the jump into senior football by moving on loan to the lower divisions. I saw him play for Arsenal’s Under 23s in a pre-season match against Barnet last summer and he was excellent. Having opened the scoring with a confident penalty, he doubled his tally by striding in from the left and curling in a well-placed shot, before sidestepping an opponent and firing home a 20-yard strike to complete a six-minute hat-trick. It was exciting stuff. Balogun used his pace to great effect, particularly on the left wing as he made the most of the space left by the opposition’s attack-minded full back. Spinning away from his marker, he posed a threat in the channels throughout. There were shades of Thierry Henry. He received some tough challenges but he was not fazed, proving he can stand up to more physical opponents.

WHAT DOES HE NEED?

I EXPECTED Balogun to receive more service from his wide men while playing up front, but as time passed Arsenal’s more experienced opponents gained confidence and made it harder for them to create chances. I noticed during this period, when he was being used more as a target man, that his ball retention could be improved, but it must be said he was being very tightly marked after his hat-trick. It was hard to assess Balogun’s ability in the air, but despite being 5ft 10in, he does not appear to have outstanding ability in that area. What he does possess is a willingness to stretch defenders, as well as the desire to work hard and close opponents down. He is one for the future.