Thierry Henry has praised Folarin Balogun for choosing to move to Ligue 1 on loan, suggesting it’s a sign of a refreshing mindset.

Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun has made a strong start to his loan spell in Ligue 1, and he earned praise in recent days from club legend Thierry Henry.

“I’m really happy for him because in general English players don’t go abroad – normally players are loaned either to another Premier League side or in the Championship,” Henry said.

“He’s a very English-style player who likes to run down the channels but he was missing something, which was his finishing.

“He’s now starting to score goals regularly and I’m happy for that – happy he has gone abroad. It’s especially so considering he is a Londoner, in general, Londoners struggle to leave London.

“When I heard he was coming to France, it made me think he has a refreshing mindset.”

Balogun has previously confirmed that another former Gunner played a part in his move to Stade de Reims, with Alexandre Lacazette pushing him to make the loan switch.

“I remember talking to him, he was telling me to come to Ligue 1,” Balogun said. “He was like, ‘Go ahead, you’re going to prove yourself there.’”

The loan is certainly going well so far, with Balogun scoring five goals, assisting one, and winning two penalties in just seven appearances.

That form saw one French outlet name the striker as one of their revelations of the Ligue 1 campaign so far.

Ouest France called the Arsenal loanee a centrepiece of the current Reims side, and suggested he’s been “walking on water” in his early appearances.

Balogun has set his goals for the season, giving himself goal and assist targets as well as a personal objective.

“To get 10 goals, five assists, and to learn French,” Balogun responded on his season targets. “So hopefully I can do this before I leave. If I reach it, I will change them again, but they’re my goals.”