Arsenal, did you see this Balogun?

By Alessandro Schiavone at Stade Saint-Symphorien

FC Metz 2-5 AS Monaco

Folarin Balogun delivered a neat riposte to his critics with a quickfire double in As Monaco's 5-2 win over strugglers Metz.

A far cry from the attacking menace he was in Reims last term when netting 21 Ligue 1 goals, Balogun has found the going tough at Stade Louis II since a €40million move down south from Arsenal.

And yesterday he netted only his sixth and seventh goals of the campaign for Champions League-chasing Monaco after replacing Eliesse Ben Seghir on 66 minutes.

His first strike came after smartly intercepting a horror backheel flick by the erratic Alexandre Oukidja in Metz's goal.

And with the hosts having meanwhile pulled two goals back and dreaming of a shock revival, he was on hand with a poacher's finish from Thilo Kehrer's flick-on after a corner to consolidate the southerners' three points.

By doing so Balogun, 22, remarkably carried on a tradition of former Gunners including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette to have scored at Stade Saint-Symphorien this term.

But it would perhaps be too precipitated to label him an Arsenal regret just yet.