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Arteta praises Balogun's ‘incredible’ progress at Arsenal
The Gunners boss has expressed his delight with the development of the 19-year-old attacker at Emirates Stadium
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised Folarin Balogun for the progress he has made since joining the club.
The forward teamed up with the Gunners’ youth team in 2008 and was handed his first professional contract in February 2019.
Balogun was promoted to the first-team in October 2020 and made his debut against Dundalk in a Europa League game.
The young attacker has been turning heads since linking up with Arteta’s men, scoring twice in as many appearances in the European competition, amid other dazzling displays.
The Gunners boss is impressed with the development of the 19-year-old and promised he would continue to have an opportunity to showcase his talent for the club.
"His progression and the use of the time that he's had with us has been incredible. He will keep having chances while he's with us," Arteta told the club website.
Balogun is in negotiation with the Emirates Stadium outfit for a new contract as his current deal is set to expire at the end of the season.
He will hope to get some minutes under his belt when the Gunners take on Newcastle United in their next outing on Saturday.
The Emirates Stadium outfit are currently 11th on the league table after gathering 23 points from 17 games.
The 19-year-old attacker has made five appearances for Arsenal but he is yet to feature in the English top-flight for the club.
He has, however, played 10 games for the club in Premier League 2 in the current campaign, scoring two goals and providing one assist.
Balogun, born in New York, United States, to Nigerian parents, has represented England at U17, U18 and U20 level.
The forward is, however, still eligible to represent the Super Eagles and has previously revealed his interest to feature for the three-time African champions.
