The 19 year-old Arsenal youngster Folarin Balogun has been known as a wonderkid and a prolific goalscorer, but has seemed frustrated with his lack of chances with the gunners first team due to the array of more experienced strikers in the Arsenal squad.
But he finally got his senior debut for 15 minutes against Dundalk last month, and last night he came on when we were 2-0 up against Molde, and it took him just 37 seconds to score his first senior goal.
He was understandably happy to have proved his ability so quickly. He told Arsenal.com after the game:”I’m feeling really happy, it shows that all the hard work I’ve put in over the years is just starting to pay off,”
“It’s important that I keep working hard to enjoy more moments like this.
“I didn’t think that particular [break for the goal] was going to be my chance, but I always try to stay ready and I’m happy that on this occasion it paid off.
“It’s been good [to be involved], it’s nice to see the boss showing faith in me. It feels like this is good experience for me, I just need to keep on learning, keep on adding to my game and I’m happy that I could contribute today.”
We all know that scoring in minor games does not always translate into Premier League goals. Didn’t we all see Eddie Nketiah score twice on his League Cup debut?
But it will certainly be interesting to see if Arteta gives him chances ahead of Nketiah in some upcoming League games. The boss really needs to persuade the lad to sign a new contract….