Folarin Balogun believes life abroad is helping him to develop as a player and a man. The England Under-21s international hopes that his experiences will help him to come back to Arsenal in a stronger position to compete for a place in the first-team setup.
The striker, who is testing himself on loan at Ligue 1 side Reims, was told to move away and 'develop as a man' by manager Mikel Arteta in the summer, something that he now completely understands: "Before I moved, Mikel said he wanted me to develop as a man. It was kind of like an open answer and for me to interpret what me meant by develop as a man," he said, as cited by the Mirror.
"But by moving abroad, I’m starting to learn what he meant. It doesn’t just mean on the pitch but also off the pitch. I think by the time I go back I’ll be in a better place to compete than I was before I left."
