Arsenal fans were not happy with Albert Sambi Lokonga last night after they suffered a 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup.
The Belgian was visibly moaned at by Martin Ødegaard for his poor positioning during the clash with Manchester City, while Football London believe Mikel Arteta also shouted at the £15m man.
After full-time, Lokonga was strangely seen walking straight down the tunnel without acknowledging the travelling Arsenal fans in the away end, a situation Yannick Bolasie has now commented on.
What’s the story?
Well, in response to a video of Lokonga walking straight to the dressing room, Bolasie wrote on Twitter: “He’s a young player. Many people have done this but doesn’t mean he’s being disrespectful, I think people just looking for opportunities to get on his back which I don’t think is fair. His qualities will shine through.”
When one upset supporter told the old Crystal Palace winger that they “respectfully disagree” with his verdict on the situation, the 33-year-old wrote the following in response.
“My bro I’m not disagreeing about clapping the fans, that should be set in stone. I’m just saying I know him and I know he expects a lot of himself because he’s a quality baller just wants to do well so badly for the club, sometimes in the moment head gets fried.”
At the end of the day, ignoring the away fans – who spend hundreds on tickets, travel and accommodation just to follow their beloved side – is never going to go down well, and Lokonga must avoid doing it again.
However, the Belgium international is still a young man at the age of 23 – he will make mistakes, and it is up to him to learn from them.
Lokonga could leave Arsenal
Before his poor performance at the Etihad Stadium, Lokonga was actually the subject of an €8m (£7m) bid from Monaco.
According to Foot Mercato in France, Arsenal rejected the offer.
Nevertheless, if the French giants come back with an improved bid, and Arsenal manage to get their hands on Moises Caicedo, then we wouldn’t be surprised to see Arteta sanction Lokonga’s exit.
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