Mikel Arteta believes teenage star Folarin Balogun wants to stay at Arsenal after scoring his first goal for the club against Molde.
Balogun has been heavily linked with a move away from the Gunners as his contract expires at the end of the season.
A number of sides are keen to sign the 19-year-old forward on a free, with Brentford and Southampton tracking him.
Arteta, however, wants Balogun to stay and is giving him more minutes in the first-team as a result.
The forward has taken his chance, scoring his first senior goal by finding the net against Molde on Thursday, and Arteta believes he wants to stay in north London.
A moment Folarin Balogun will never forget 🙌
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 26, 2020
His first goal for Arsenal on just his second senior appearance!
They really like the look of him at the Emirates 🔴#UEL pic.twitter.com/FpIwurBy3M
“Well deserved for the boy. He’s working really hard,” said Arteta, when asked about Balogun’s goal in the 3-0 win.
“He had some difficult months with all the speculation around him, he’s handled the situation in a really mature way.
“He wants to stay, we want him to stay. We gave him the opportunity and he took it straight away.”
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