‘I won’t even lie’ - Player Arsenal could sell issues honest verdict on Mikel Arteta’s management
One player who has been linked with an Arsenal exit has been speaking about Mikel Arteta and his management style.
Arsenal star Folarin Balogun has issued his verdict on working with Mikel Arteta amid exit links this summer.
Balogun has been highly rated at Arsenal for some time, but there is talk he could be expended this summer as Arsenal look to bring in cash to balance the books and potentially make another signing or two. Balogun spent last season on loan with Rennes, and his performance in Ligue 1 has seen him attract plenty of interest this summer.
Balogun scored as many as 21 goals in 37 league appearances, and amid a difficult route to a starting role at Arsenal, he has created a market for himself this summer.
A stay hasn’t been ruled out, but with Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Eddie Nketiah, Arteta may be tempted to take a good fee for Balogun as he looks to continue building his squad ahead of the new season. Inter Milan have been heavily linked as they look to move on from loan star Romelu Lukaku, and it’s claimed Arsenal could demand as £50million.
In the meantime, the 22-year-old is on a pre-season tour with Arsenal in the US, and he has been speaking about what it’s like to work under Arteta at the Emirates Stadium.
Balogun told AppleTV+ after Arsenal’s comfortable win over MLS All-Stars: “Deadly serious, I won’t even lie.
“He’s relentless as you’ve seen. What you see with him is what you get. He’s very demanding and that’s a good mentality for us.”
Arsenal fans got a good look at Arteta’s way of working during an Amazon Prime documentary last summer, and standards have only been raised from there following a superb season for the Gunners last term. Arteta is only going to get hungrier and more demanding now that he has been given a smell of the Premier League title, with Arsenal leading the league for the majority of last season before ultimately falling short.