Middlesbrough must rue Arsenal, Folarin Balogun transfer miss when looking to France: View | OneFootball

One striker has thrived since leaving the Gunners, but not in time for 'Boro

The 2021/22 Championship campaign ended in frustrating fashion for those of a Middlesbrough persuasion.

After a below-par start to the campaign, the appointment of Chris Wilder as manager at The Riverside Stadium in November 2021 had seen them climb up the table.

They spent much of the latter few months of the season competing for a place in the play-offs, which would of course, have given them a shot at promotion to the Premier League.

In the end though, Middlesbrough would fall narrowly short of the top six spot they needed for that opportunity, finishing seventh, five points adrift of sixth place Luton Town.

There will have been several reasons why they did not quite make it in the end, and one player who they perhaps did not as much from as they would have hoped in that period, was Folarin Balogun.

Arsenal loanee struggled to fire at Middlesbrough

During the 2022 January window, Balogun was one of those to make the move to the Riverside Stadium, joining on loan until the end of the season from Arsenal.

It was a deal that looked like an exciting one, with the striker having been in prolific form for the Gunners' Under 23s side that season, with 14 goals and four assists in 11 league games.

He had also made a handful of first-team appearances for the Premier League side, even scoring in wins over Molde and Dundalk in the Europa League.

However, the young striker was unable to replicate that form with Middlesbrough, struggling to really pose a threat in front of goal in the Championship.

In 18 league appearances for the club, Balogun found the net on just three occasions, which will have been frustrating given the expectation around him when he arrived after his form at Arsenal.

With 'Boro winning only two - and losing four - of their last eight league games, had the striker been able to get on the scoresheet more, he could have helped them to some more positive results.

That in turn, may have made all the difference in their attempts to secure a top six finish in the Championship that season.

What will arguably make that even more frustrating for Middlesbrough, is the form that Balogun is now producing while out in France.

Folarin Balogun is thriving in Ligue 1

In the summer of 2022, following the end of his loan spell with 'Boro, the striker would again be on the move, this time joining Stade de Reims on a season-long loan from Arsenal.

The 2022/23 campaign would prove to be a much more productive one for the striker, as he scored 22 goals in all competitions, helping the club to an 11th place finish in the French top-flight.

That then prompted another Ligue 1 side to make a big move for Balogun in the summer of 2023, with Monaco signing him on a permanent deal.

It was reported that the principality side paid a fee of €30million to sign the striker, a fee few connected with Middlesbrough might have expected during his time there.

Although his first season there was a quieter one, he did still get on the scoresheet on several occasions for the club, and this campaign has already shown more promise.

Already, Balogun has scored three goals in his last three league games for Monaco this season, including the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Rennes on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, his form since moving to France has also seen the striker become a regular for the USA at senior international level, where he has also scored a number of goals.

As a result, Balogun is now showing that he can be a consistent and fairly reliable goalscorer in the higher echelons of the game.

Given the difference it could have made to them had he done so while there, some at Middlesbrough may be left to wonder just why things did not go better for Balogun at The Riverside.