Charles Watts has claimed that Arsenal could ‘sell’ Albert Sambi Lokonga this summer, with interest from Vincent Kompany’s Burnley.
The Arsenal transfer expert added that Albert Sambi Lokonga has become the ‘forgotten man’ in north London after his six-month loan spell at Crystal Palace this season, as he told his own YouTube channel.
The 23-year-old failed to make his mark at Selhurst Park and now Watts thinks Arsenal will look to move the midfielder on and someone like Vincent Kompany ‘really likes him’ after working with him at Anderlecht.
During the 2021 summer transfer window, the Gunners paid £17 million (BBC Sport) for the rising Belgian star, who hasn’t been able to cement his place in the first-team.
Added to that, there is talk that Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo could sign this summer, and if that’s the case, then it pushes Lokonga further down the pecking order.
Either way, despite coming to the Emirates with such promise, Watts expects Lokonga, whether it’s a permanent deal or a loan move, to move on one way or another this summer.
“The forgotten man, Sambi,” said Watts. “Arsenal paid £18 million to bring him in a couple of years ago from Anderlecht, it’s safe to say that it hasn’t really worked.
“A tidy player and he just has never seized his opportunity. He has had a lot of opportunities. We have had Sambi at the club for two years now and I still don’t know what he really is and that’s a worrying sign. I don’t know what sort of player he is or where his best position is. I have never seen him play with much personality on the pitch. He doesn’t boss things. You don’t know if he is a defensive midfielder. You don’t know if he is an attacking midfielder. And that’s a little bit of a worry.
“He didn’t really do anything at Crystal Palace. But he was unlucky because he went to play under Patrick Vieira and he got sacked pretty much straight away. A new manager comes in and he had different ideas. It didn’t work out for Sambi there. I don’t think that’s his fault.
“What’s going to happen with him is that I think he is going to go. I think, ideally, Arsenal would sell him this summer. Get him off the books permanently. I am not sure they will be able to do that. I think he might go out on loan again. There is talk of Burnley. That makes sense. Vincent Kompany was his manager at Anderlecht. He really likes him. They are in the Premier League. It would be a really good deal for Arsenal to do.”
Lokonga’s time is up at Arsenal
The technically-gifted midfielder had his chances, he just hasn’t taken them and it could now result in him heading for the exit door for good.
Arsenal are trying to reach the elite, elite level and that’s by winning the Premier League title.
Treble-winning Manchester City stand in their way and Arteta has no time for passengers, he needs players doing the business right now and Lokonga just doesn’t fit into that box.
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