PROFILE | Ill fortune halts Folarin Balogun’s revival | OneFootball

After netting 22 goals in 39 appearances while on loan at Reims, expectations were high when he made the switch from Arsenal to Monaco in the summer of 2023. Naturally, those expectations were only heightened by the €30m price tag. Unequivocally, he fell short of those expectations in his debut campaign, as he finished with a record of eight goals in 32 games in all competitions. Balogun himself admitted as much: “For me, it’s been a period of adaptation. Now, I expect big things from myself,” he said towards the end of last season.

As well as slotting into a new environment, Balogun also had to contend with a much different play style at Monaco. At Reims, he was used to having space to exploit. At Monaco, who more often than not come up against low blocks, space is very much at a premium. However, there have been stories of revivals at Monaco, Takumi Minamino being the most notable and recent one. He bounced back spectacularly in his second season having had a muted debut campaign in the Principality. Balogun, with three goals in seven Ligue 1 games this season, looks to be following a similar trajectory.

Performances – by and large – remained at a high level last season but the goals certainly dried up and by the end of the campaign, his confidence in front of goal look shot. That confidence has returned and the goals are enhancing other aspects of his play: the runs are made with greater conviction, they are more measured, better timed, and importantly, more often picked out by his teammates.

Balogun out until April

That latter element is not lost on his manager, Adi Hutter, although the Austrian sees scope for further growth. “He is a great striker and I am sure that he can do even better. For now, he is not quite at his best level, but this season he is closer to the team and more connected,” said the Monaco manager. Spurred on by competition from Breel Embolo and the emerging George Ilenikhena, Balogun is now starting to show the goal-scoring touch that made him such hot property after his loan at Reims.

Consistency in his finishing remains the USMNT forward’s major axis for growth, as is the case for most strikers, but through his struggles in his opening 12 months, he has become a more complete forward and one that, prior to dislocating his shoulder in October, was assuming a more prominent role in this high-flying Monaco side. That injury has stopped Balogun in his stride. He is expected to return in April 2025.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle