"Going to bring a fiery edge to the group" - Arsenal star says returning 21-year-old star will 'elevate everyone' at club

Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner believes that returning striker Folarin Balogun will fit in well at the club and also 'elevate everyone' with his energy and ability.

Balogun, 21, spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan at French side Stade Reims and scored 21 goals in 37 Ligue 1 games. He finished fourth in the scoring charts, behind Kylian Mbappe (29), Alexandre Lacazette (27) and Jonathan David (24).

Balogun has been with Arsenal since he was seven and has made ten senior appearances, registering two goals and an assist. He's now set to return to the club, hoping to challenge Gabriel Jesus for the starting No. 9 position.

Turner has lauded Balogun's ability as a striker and his personality, saying that he will gel in quickly with the squad

"I had a pre-season with him at Arsenal, and we developed a pretty good relationship, but then he left to go on loan. He scored lots of goals on his loan spell, and he has done really, really well. He's someone to be excited about, and I think that knowing his personality, he’ll fit in well with the group," Turner said (via Metro).

He continued:

"Flo is a really talented player that’s going to bring a fiery edge to the group. He's a super competitive guy, and that fits in well with the people we have in this locker room already.

"Again, he’s going to be a great addition and creates more competition at that No 9 spot, and when you have competition like that, it elevates everyone else’s game," he added.

Balogun and Turner will now play together at the international level as well after the former switched allegiances from England to the USA. They could feature together for USA in the CONCACAF Nations League finals against Mexico and Panama or Canada later this month.

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Arsenal interested in Joao Cancelo

The Gunners signed Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City last summer. The duo helped the north London side put up a sustained Premier League title challenge but were unable to help them cross the finish line.

As per Sky Sports, Arsenal are now eyeing a move for Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo. He was sent on loan to Bayern Munich in January, but the German side are unlikely to trigger the buy option of €70 million.

Reports arose of Cancelo's rift with City manager Pep Guardiola, which means he could be sold this summer. However, the Cityzens value him at around €70 million. While Arsenal are interested in signing him, the fee could be a stumbling block.

Cancelo, 29, has been excellent since joining Manchester City from Juventus in 2019. He has contributed nine goals and 22 assists in 154 games for Guardiola's side.