Folarin Balogun (22) has spoken about the influence that former Arsenal teammate Alexandre Lacazette (32) had on his game as the pair prepare to meet when AS Monaco face Olympique Lyonnais on Friday night.
Balogun and Lacazette only played seven minutes together for the Arsenal first team, during a League Cup victory over AFC Wimbledon back in September 2021. However, the pair had plenty of contact when Balogun was coming through the ranks at the Gunners and the USMNT international has said that he was inspired by the France international.
“When I was with Arsenal, I spoke with Lacazette a lot,” said the Monaco forward in response to a question from Get French Football News. “Of course, I was a young player coming through, so he was in a position where he was giving me advice and helping me.”
Balogun inspired by Lacazette’s link-up play
Balogun added that he was in frequent contact with Lacazette last season, whilst he was on loan at Stade de Reims. “We spoke a lot and every time we faced Lyon, it was a nice opportunity to catch up with him and I’m sure it’ll be no different when we play them this Friday,” said Balogun.
Balogun said he was notably inspired by Lacazette’s link-up play. “He’s a very clinical finisher. Also, his approach to the game from deep, his link-up play, I’ve looked at that and studied how he always has so much time and space when he comes to feet, so I think I’ve learnt this from him and it is something that I have added to my game,” said the former Arsenal forward.
Balogun to reunite with another former Gunner
Lacazette isn’t the only former Gunner with whom he’ll be reunited on Friday. Ainsley Maitland-Niles (26) also made the move to Lyon during the summer, joining on a free transfer. The England international has struggled to carve out a space for himself in this struggling OL side and hasn’t featured for the club since 22nd October.
“I haven’t had the chance to speak with Ainsley. I know that recently, he’s had a child, so I was very happy for him. He’s struggling for game time, but life at Lyon is very different to in England. Maybe there are different things that he is struggling with that he needs extra time to adapt to. Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to speak with him after the game and see how he’s doing. He’s a great guy and I wish him all the best,” Balogun told Get French Football News.
