A player sold by Arsenal and rated by Mikel Arteta has been praised by national media after his performance last night at the Copa America.
The Gunners are no strangers to selling players way before they’ve reached their peak, with Serge Gnabry arguably the most famous example, as the Germany international hit world-class levels after leaving Arsenal and eventually ending up at Bayern Munich.
With the likes of Matteo Gunedouzi and Konstantinos Mavropanos developing well after leaving Arsenal, it’s clear that the north London side are yet to crack the code on when is the right time to sell a player and for the right place.
And one such name last night impressed at the Copa America.
Former Arsenal talent Folarin Balogun hailed after 2-0 USA win vs Bolivia
Folarin Balogun was one of the stars of the show for the US last night in Texas as the former Arsenal striker scored the second and crucial goal for the United States in an important 2-0 win against Bolivia.
As you can expect, the American media were very pleased with how Balogun performed for the Stars and Stripes, with Goal hailing the former Arsenal man for his ‘big’ performance, with fellow ex-Gooner Matt Turner also starting.
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CBS Sports continued the praise on their coverage of the game, with Balogun hailed for his growing relationship with Christian Pulisic, as the £34m AS Monaco man now looks to lead the line for the US this summer at the Copa America.
Finally, Pro Soccer Wire were complementary to Balogun for his ability to get into good attacking positions, though the publication did note that the 22-year-old could have done better with some of the opportunities presented to him against Bolivia.
Balogun can show the world what he’s capable of this summer
Whilst Balogun left Arsenal last summer for a huge fee, as well as being hailed as ‘incredible’ by Mikel Arteta, the US international didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his first year at Monaco.
However, Balogun can change his fortunes this summer with a big Copa America for the US, a competition that Gregg Berhalter’s side could go far in given the current status of some of the nations in the tournament.
Indeed, the 22-year-old Hale End academy graduate has shown already in his short career that he can be a consistent goalscorer, and Balogun will want to prove just that this summer at the Copa America.