Folarin Balogun: ‘I expect more from myself.’
It hasn’t been all plain sailing for Folarin Balogun (22) since his arrival at AS Monaco in the summer, however, the USMNT forward netted his first brace for Les Monégasques against FC Metz on Saturday (5-2). He now says that he “expects more from [himself]”.
Last year, Balogun scored 22 goals in 39 appearances for Stade de Reims. Whilst that goalscoring form wasn’t enough to force him into Mikel Arteta’s plans at Arsenal, it was enough to convince Monaco to invest around €30m in the forward. It has been a season of adaptation for the former Arsenal forward, who has not only had to contend with a different play style but also the difficulties that travelling large distances in international breaks entails.
“He has to adapt. He’s a young player that I have spoken with a lot. In a career, you’re not always at your best peak, so we have to accept this. Everyone can see he can do better. I am happy with him. He’s a very professional player. He does everything in possession. This is football sometimes,” said Monaco manager Adi Hütter in a press conference, attended by Get French Football News in January.
Questioned after his brace against Les Grenats, which were his seventh and eighth goals in the red and white of Monaco, Balogun showed an ambition to give more. “I am happy to have helped the team. I expect more from myself,” began Balogun, who netted his two goals from the bench on Saturday. “Of course, I’m happy for the team, but I want to quickly get back, recover and prepare for the next match as best as possible. I’m not disappointed, but I expected more from myself and in the next match, I hope to do better,” he told Prime Video Sport.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
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