Thierry Henry hails Folarin Balogun's "refreshing mindset"

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 11 September 2022

Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorer Thierry Henry hails Folarin Balogun's "refreshing mindset" following his strong start to life with Reims in Ligue 1.

Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorer has hailed Folarin Balogun's "refreshing mindset" following the striker's strong start to life in Ligue 1 with Reims.

Balogun is yet to enjoy a breakthrough season with the Gunners, who loaned the England Under-21 international out to Les Rouges et Blancs for the 2021-22 season.

The striker has starred under Oscar Garcia with five goals and two assists from seven top-flight matches so far, filling the Hugo Ekitike void following the Frenchman's loan move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Balogun has only racked up two goals in 10 senior appearances for Arsenal despite producing a spate of prolific seasons at youth level, and he found himself behind Eddie Nketiah, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the pecking order last term.

Gabriel Jesus's arrival also made it difficult for Balogun to force his way into Arteta's thinking, but Henry - who scored 228 goals for the Gunners - has been impressed with the Englishman's progress.

Thierry Henry celebrates scoring for Arsenal against Sparta Prague in the Champions League on October 18, 2005 © Reuters

"I'm really happy for him because in general English players don't go abroad – normally players are loaned either to another Premier League side or in the Championship," Henry told Amazon Prime.

"He's a very English-style player who likes to run down the channels but he was missing something, which was his finishing.

"He's now starting to score goals regularly and I'm happy for that – happy he has gone abroad. It's especially so considering he is a Londoner, in general Londoners struggle to leave London. When I heard he was coming to France, it made me think he has a refreshing mindset."

Balogun's Reims contract does not include an option or obligation to make his stay permanent, and he is therefore due to return to Arsenal for the 2023-24 season, with his contract up in 2025.

The Englishman has followed a number of Arsenal players to swap the Premier League for Ligue 1, with William Saliba and Nuno Tavares being loaned out to Marseille, and the former has since become a regular for the Gunners first team.

Alexandre Lacazette celebrates scoring for Lyon on September 7, 2022 © Reuters

Meanwhile, Lacazette ended his five-year Arsenal stay this summer to return to Lyon on a free transfer, and Balogun has hailed the Frenchman's influence in his move to Reims.

"He's a great player. When he was at Arsenal he would always help me progress and improve, teaching me techniques and giving me advice," Balogun said in his own interview with Amazon Prime.

"I remember speaking to Lacazette and he kept on telling me : you need to go to Ligue 1, you will do well here. Maybe he should become my agent as well because he has a great knowledge of football!"

Balogun played the full 90 as Reims lost 1-0 to Toulouse on Sunday, while Lacazette's Lyon suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Monaco.

Arsenal are due to return to action in Thursday's Europa League clash with PSV Eindhoven, but there are fears that the game could be postponed due to police preparing for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.