Balogun: I Will Prove Reims Success No Fluke

Balogun: I Will Prove Reims Success No Fluke

Alfred Kadiri

Nigeria-born Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun is determined to build on this season's success with Reims.

The 21-year-old striker is currently challenging Kylian Mbappe for Ligue 1's Golden Boot after joining unfancied Stade de Reims on loan for the season.

And it was his failure to get a minute of action during the Gunners' summer tour to the USA which convinced the ambitious England Under-21 international to prove himself on the other side of the Channel.

Only PSG superstar Mbappe and Lille's Canadian World Cup star Jonathan David have currently scored more than Balogun's 17 goals in the French League this season.

He says: “No one would have expected this when I first came to Reims, but to be in this position now is amazing and I need to continue it.

“The more you achieve certain things, the more questions you face. Is it something I can do regularly or is it a fluke?

“So I'm pretty focused and determined to show people that this is not a blip and that scoring goals is something I can do consistently.

“A lot of people might forget that I'm still an Arsenal player but it's still one of my dreams to play in their first team."