MONACO – United States striker Folarin Balogun told ESPN that the decision to stay at Arsenal last summer was out of his control.
Balogun joined Monaco in a deal worth up to 40 million euros ($42 million) last summer, and he has gotten off to a fast start, scoring in three of his first five matches, despite missing two rare penalty kicks against Nice, where his side sit top of the league. French first class. .
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In an exclusive interview in Monaco with ESPN, when asked about his conversations with Arteta after his return from loan to Reims, Balogun said: “He didn’t really say much, he just said that when I came back, he just said well done, and he encouraged me to keep going.
“Then I came back in pre-season, it was just a matter of seeing if I adapted to his plans and seeing if I could still play some games.
“He said he would try to get me as much as he could, but of course he also told me that people in senior positions make decisions about me and see what’s best for me. So the conversations between me and him were good, but it was about the club and what they wanted to do.”
ESPN reported in the summer that Balogun was keen to play first-team football after enjoying a successful year on loan at Reims – where he scored 21 league goals.
However, amid interest from Inter Milan and Chelsea, Arsenal opted to agree a deal with Monaco.
“He. She [his future up in the air] “It wasn’t something that made me anxious, it was just a case of seeing what I wanted to do. It was out of my hands, that’s how I felt,” Balogun added. It wasn’t something I could control.
“The only thing I could do was come to training and work hard. So I did that. After the training, I enjoyed being back in London. I saw my friends, and reunited with my family.”
The 22-year-old has been called up to the USMNT squad for upcoming friendlies against Germany and Ghana.
