"It was out of my hands, that's how I felt" - Ex-Arsenal star opens up on exit from the PL club in the summer transfer window

Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun has admitted he rarely spoke to Mikel Arteta before leaving the club for Ligue 1 side AS Monaco this past summer.

Balogun enjoyed a superb 2022-23 campaign on loan at Stade Reims, bagging 21 goals in 37 Ligue 1 games. He finished joint-fourth in the top goalscoring ranks in France's top tier.

Many expected Balogun to be handed a prominent role in Arteta's first team following his impressive showings for Reims. However, it soon became clear that he was still behind the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah, and Leandro Trossard in Arsenal's attacking pecking order.

Balogun has touched on his exit from the Emirates by alluding to his lack of communication with Arteta (via football.london):

"He didn't really say much, he just said that when I came back he just said well done, and he encouraged me to keep going."

Balogun then admitted that first-team opportunities were going to be hard to come by at Arsenal. He felt that the situation regarding his departure was beyond his control:

"It (his future being uncertain) wasn't something that made me feel anxious, it was just more a case of seeing what wanted to be done. It was out of my hands, that's how I felt. It wasn't something I could control. The only thing I could do was just turn up to train and work hard."

The 22-year-old sealed a €30 million move to Monaco, starting the season strongly with three goals and one assist in five games across competitions. He recently scored against former loan club Reims in a 3-1 win at the Stade Auguste-Delaune.

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has reportedly been impressed by Aaron Ramsdale's training

Aaron Ramsdale has caught the eye in training.

According to The Athletic, Aaron Ramsdale has taken being dropped by Arteta well and pushed himself to improve. This has led to a surge in levels of training and he also holds a good relationship with his replacement David Raya.

Arteta and his goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana are pleased with Ramsdale and they view both the English goalkeeper and Raya as excellent. The 25-year-old was dropped in the Gunners' 1-0 win against Everton on September 17.

Ramsdale has made six appearances across competitions this season, keeping two clean sheets. He was a standout performer for Arsenal last season, with 15 clean sheets in 41 games across competitions.

Many questioned whether Ramsdale would become disillusioned following Arteta's decision to drop him. But it appears he's putting in the work behind the scenes to try and convince his manager that he deserves the No.1 jersey.