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Folarin Balogun: Why Arsenal and Reims striker is ready for England
Folarin Balogun got his first taste of senior football at Middlesbrough last season, he is now thriving in Ligue 1 at Reims, giving food for thought to England and Arsenal fans alike.
Not many strikers in the world can lay claim to being more prolific than the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain.
That is exactly what Folarin Balogun has managed to do this season at Stade de Reims in Ligue 1. The Englishman currently has 16 goals to his name, three better than Neymar and Messi.
On loan from Arsenal, Balogun has always been highly rated as a youngster and Gunners fans have had big hopes for him since he started impressing in Premier League 2.
A loan spell at Middlesbrough gave him an opportunity to cut his teeth at the senior level and although he couldn't help then manager Chris Wilder achieve promotion, he still impressed in flashes - scoring three and assisting a further three in nine Sky Bet Championship starts.
Now at Reims, he has found a new lease of life under Will Still and is looking every bit the player he was expected to become - potentially even better.
This kind of form warrants an England call-up and the international break presents the perfect opportunity for Gareth Southgate to give him a chance.
What kind of a player is Balogun?
Just 21 years of age, Balogun has already shown all the signs of a top-class number nine type striker.
"He is a super complete striker," said manager Still to BBC Sport. "He is able to play with his back to goal and deep. He scores, he is decisive."
Granted these words of praise from his current manager come with a certain level of a bias, but there is no denying his incredible level of talent.
Balogun is fast, able to outpace most centre backs on his day.
He is capable of stretching the opposition defensive line with his willingness to run in behind and movement off the shoulder and has shown a lot of intelligence in terms of his ability to press defences and help his team play on the front foot.
Not only that, Balogun can also run into space in wide channels and is happy to take on defenders 1v1, often attempting to dribble past before linking up with team-mates. He has averaged 3.11 take-ons/90 according to Opta.
In the penalty box, Balogun is clever with his movement, times his runs well which allows him to connect with crosses from his wingers like he did here against Troyes in a 4-0 victory for Reims.
π Things you love to see...
β Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) October 3, 2022
π @ItouJky assisting @balogun in #Ligue1UberEats! pic.twitter.com/DSjbiPqd6H
These are all attributes already that make him the perfect striker for Arsenal.
More recently, Balogun has shown the back to goal ability that Still talked about, being able to drop deep and assist midfielders in circulating the ball to wider areas, this is an area he has shown promise in and will no doubt continue to improve as the season goes on.
His strengths are accentuated by Reims aggressive transition-oriented approach, where he has acres to space to burst into - the Arsenal loanee's equaliser against PSG is the perfect example of this.
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β Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) January 29, 2023
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What do the numbers say?
Balogun's numbers for Reims this season are hugely impressive.
No striker has contributed more to their team's goals than Balogun, who has scored 46% of their total efforts.
Given that Reims aren't a side that usually dominate matches, it is a positive sign that he is delivering when it matters.
Balogun's 16 goals this season have come from an expected goals (xG) figure of 14.11, which includes four penalties scored from five attempted.
But even removing the inflating influence of penalties on his figure, he has accumulated 13.6 non-penalty xG (npxG) according to Opta.
A closer look at his underlying numbers shows Balogun's elite figures, averaging 0.62 xG per95, via Infogol, which puts him head and shoulders above all other U21 strikers across the top five leagues, who have played at least 12 matches or more.
His shot-generation is another impressive facet in his arsenal of skills.
In Ligue 1 this season, he has consistently averaged a high volume of shots, amounting to 3.57 shots/95. Once he gets into the areas in and around the box, he quickly gets shots away, explaining his high shot volume.
Taking the underlying numbers into account, Balogun is doing exceedingly well.
How does Balogun compare to other England forwards?
Of all England forwards, Marcus Rashford is the one in red-hot form at the moment.
No other player has scored as many goals as him since the season resumed after the World Cup, having scored most recently in Manchester United's Carabao Cup victory over Newcastle.
However, Balogun has lit up Ligue 1 with his goals and performances, pushing him into the England conversation ahead of the upcoming international break.
Although Gareth Southgate has been averse to picking players away from the Premier League, Balogun has more than earned his opportunity.
Only Harry Kane's total of 20 league goals is better than Balogun's 16, more than Rashford as well as Brentford's Ivan Toney.
He has even averaged the highest xG/95 (0.63), when compared to the current England pool of forwards.
Bringing different strengths to the table when compared to the likes of Kane, Toney and Rashford, Balogun would make a shrewd call-up to the England squad.
It would be the perfect reward for the England U21 international, who has been prolific at that level.
Taking inspiration from the playing styles of the likes of Edinson Cavani and Robert Lewandowski, Balogun's fundamentals are strong and he looks well set for a career in the top five leagues.
Whether his future lies with Arsenal or elsewhere remains to be seen, but Balogun is clearly a gem in the making, who continues to polish his game with each passing match.