Folarin Balogun is basking in the euphoria of his first senior goal for Arsenal and is hopeful it is the start of many more to come.
Balogun was on the score sheet as Arsenal earned themselves a spot in the Round of 32 following a 3-0 win over Molde in the Europa League.
The 19-year-old came off the bench after replacing Eddie Nketiah late on and needed just 37 seconds to score.
With his first touch of the ball, Balogun grabbed his first senior goal for Arsenal in only his second appearance.
The goal comes after increased speculation on his future. The teenager is out of contract in 2021 and had looked set to leave last summer after talks over a new deal broke down. Ahead of the Gunners’ game with Molde, Arteta even spoke on the contract situation of the young forward.
Arteta mentioned that negotiations with Balogun have resumed and his latest goal will be further reason to see himself with a future at the Emirates.
The youngster was delighted with his goal and put it all down to hard work.
Speaking after the victory over Molde, Balogun said as per the club’s website: “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.”
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