Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard spoke to the media in Washington DC and the Norwegian delivered his verdict on young talent Folarin Balogun.
The 22-year-old switched his international allegiance to the United States recently. He has already scored a goal for them. He is an exciting talent for the USMNT. And fans in America love him.
Balogun is likely to be sold by Arsenal this summer. But Mikel Arteta is expected to give him an opportunity in front of US fans in the coming games. Odegaard says he’s really excited to see him play.
Odegaard see’s Balogun as a huge talent for the future
Skipper Martin Odegaard, who has seen him train over the last couple of weeks. He says he’s excited to see him play too.
He said in the press conference, as broadcasted on HaytersTV:
“Just happy to see him do well. Last year in France, he had a great season.
“He’s a big talent, the boy works hard, very hungry to improve all the time. Yeah, just happy for him and excited to see him again in the games now. Hopefully, he can do well and score some goals.”
The Gunners would ideally like to keep hold of him. But with Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard all ahead of him. That is in the pecking order, it’s difficult to see where he’d fit in.
A move away is extremely likely this summer. But that can all change if Balogun sets the stage on fire against the opposition. They are Manchester United and Barcelona in the USA in the coming days.
The striker came through the ranks at the Gunners academy. And almost always delivered at youth level. He went out on loan to Middlesbrough in the second half of the season before the last one. But it was his spell in France last term that made him a household name.
Balogun scored 22 goals for Stade Reims in all competitions last season. Arsenal fans are desperate for him to be given an opportunity in the upcoming campaign.
