When asked about his conversations with Arteta after returning from loan at Reims, Balogun said: "He didn’t really say much, he just said that when I came back he just said well done, and he encouraged me to keep going.

"Then me coming back in a preseason, it was just more about me seeing whether I fit into his plans and seeing if I can continue to play some games.

“He said that he would try to get me involved as best as he could, but of course he also told me that the people higher up were making decisions on me and seeing what would be best for me. So the conversations between me and him were good, but it was more about the club, what they wanted to do.”