How 'natural finisher' Balogun forged his own path to the top

Everton want to sign Folarin Balogun from Monaco so what would he bring? Former Arsenal striker scored three goals for USA at the World Cup and has shone in France; his personal coach describes him as a "natural finisher" with potential to be one of world's best No 9s

When Folarin Balogun arrives for his individual training sessions, his coach, Saul Isaksson-Hurst, has learned to be flexible. He can have a detailed plan mapped out, but Balogun, an intense and analytical character, tends to bring his own ideas.

"He's very serious and he's very driven," Isaksson-Hurst tells Sky Sports . "He'll sometimes come and say, 'look, I want to do this'. He's not backwards about coming forward with what he wants to work on. We'll often discuss it and have a back and forth.

"He challenges me as much as I try to challenge him. But it's great to work with him because he always brings it, that mentality, that intensity. You know you're doing a session with a top, top player because it's always at 100 per cent."

It is a revealing insight into the mind of a player who has taken an active role in his own development, typified by his decision to enlist the help of Isaksson-Hurst following a difficult loan spell with Middlesbrough while he was still a teenager at Arsenal.

Balogun returned having only scored three goals in 18 Championship games. He was determined not to let it define him. "He wanted to do more. He wanted to get better," explains Isaksson-Hurst. "He was a very targeted and aspirational type of guy."

Their first sessions took place that summer. "We had an intensive few weeks of training in London, really focused on him as a profile, that number nine, that fox in the box who's great at finishing. Both feet, movements, timing of runs. Those sorts of things."

Balogun's subsequent success on loan at Reims, where he scored 22 goals in 39 games, showed the value of the extra work. Now 25, he has been training with Isaksson-Hurst ever since, booking in sessions in the off-season or during breaks in his schedule.

Balogun found himself at the centre of a political storm following his red card at the World Cup but showed his quality at the tournament with three goals. He is now being linked with a return to the Premier League with Everton, three years after leaving Arsenal for Monaco, where he has scored 31 times in 91 appearances.

His career has been a story of bold decisions. Balogun left his comfort zone with his move to France, initially with his loan to Reims, then switched his international allegiance from England to the USA.

"He just wants to play at the highest level he can, on the biggest stage possible," says Isaksson-Hurst, who works with several top players having previously been an academy coach.

"I don't see him struggling under that pressure. I think he'd excel under it. It's what he looks for. He wants that. He has always sought that out.