Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun rubbishes theory as Mikel Arteta has decision to make

Folarin Balogun has thrived in Ligue 1 since joining Reims on loan and has talked up the French top flight with his goals continuing to give Mikel Arteta food for thought at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta praises January signing Leandro Trossard for sparking win at Fulham

Folarin Balogun has dismissed the narrative about Ligue 1 being a sub-par league as the Arsenal loanee continues to thrive.

The striker has headed to Reims for the season and has been prolific, scoring 16 times for the side who currently have the longest unbeaten run in Europe's top five leagues. The French top flight has copped criticism over the past decade for its perceived lack of quality.

PSG, backed by their wealthy owners, have won the league eight times over the past decade to underline their dominance. No French side has won a major European trophy in that period either, but Balogun maintains that critique of Ligue 1 is off the mark having now played in it.

He told Onze Mondial : “Ligue 1 is really very difficult. I am very shocked when I hear people saying that the league is easy. I don’t understand why this league isn’t sometimes respected like it should be, especially on the internet. As a Ligue 1 player, I can say that it’s a very, very difficult division.

"There are lots of good, aggressive teams, and that’s without saying that the best players in the world are currently playing in this league, and despite that, they don’t win all of their matches.”

Balogun has scored more times than Lionel Messi this term. Only Kylian Mbappe and Jonathan David have scored more than the Arsenal loanee, who has long been highly-rated in north London, but has been unable to get the minutes that would aid his development.

Ligue 1's reputation on English shores was highlighted by Peter Crouch's recent take on Mbappe, who he believes has to move on. He said on BT Sport: "He's in a league that is below the standard that he's set. He's been unbelievable for France, he's record goalscorer for PSG and I think the time has come to try it in a top league, either Spain or England."

Despite the perception Mikel Arteta is hugely impressed with Balogun's exploits across The Channel having previously seen a spell at Middlesbrough not go to plan.

The Spaniard said: “I’m so happy for him. He’s a boy that has a really clear idea of what he wants to do with his career. He’s really ambitious, really committed and really brave. We discussed a lot before he made that move whether it was the right place to go and the other choices he had. He was so convinced. I’m really happy for him because he deserves what he’s getting.

“When you look at the numbers and what he is doing, it’s just incredible. It’s very rare to see that. But he’s got something special, that’s why we decided to give him a long-term contract and have faith in him and give him the long period that he needs now, because the loan he is having now is really different to the one he had before at Middlesbrough."

Pick up your Daily Mirror every day of the festival for racing specials, day by day updates and free bet EVERY DAY.

Celebrate the biggest racing week of the year- the Cheltenham Festival. One of the most prestigious National Hunt Meetings of the calendar is not to be missed…and we’ve got a bumper week of amazing content and great reader offers. Find out more HERE.