£18m Arsenal player’s exit plan is the right decision, he has no future at the club

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Arsenal are preparing for yet another key summer transfer window this season following the Gunners’ second place finish in the Premier League table.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal looked like they were finally going to win their first Premier League title since 2004, when they went the entire league campaign unbeaten.

However, a title win was not to be the case with a 2-0 victory for Unai Emery’s Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium proving pivotal, as this eventually put City as the favourites and they took full advantage of this.

A summer of change is set to be on the cards in North London but it looks like one £18 million midfielder could well be on the chopping block.

Midfielder admits future is away from the Gunners

Since moving to the Gunners back in the summer of 2021 from Belgian side Anderlecht, Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga has struggled to make the impact that he would have hoped for.

With a total of just 25 Premier League matches played for the Gunners, a loan move was deemed as the best decision for the Belgian. He has spent two loan spells at Crystal Palace and newly-promoted Luton Town, but these moves have not worked out for him.

During his latest loan spell in Luton, the midfielder started just 16 Premier League games and scored one goal and provided three assists. It seems that the Belgian knows his future lies away from Arsenal.

As per Fabrizio Romano, the Belgian said: “My time at Arsenal is slowly coming to the end, I think so. I had a discussion with the club and what was said is that the best solution for me was to leave.”

A move away from Arsenal may well be the best move for him as it seems unlikely the midfielder will get the game time he is looking for at the Gunners.

Lokonga’s tough task

When the Belgian joined Arsenal in that summer of 2021, breaking into a midfield that was struggling at that moment in time, looked like a realistic possibility.

However, three years on, it could be argued that Arsenal now have one of the strongest midfield departments in the league. With the addition of Declan Rice and Jorginho over the past 18 months, the strength in depth has increased significantly.

As well as Thomas Partey, the Gunners also have Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Viera with the captain Martin Odegaard a certainty to start every week.

Lokonga just wouldn’t get the game time that he needs at this crucial stage of his development. A move away from North London would be the best move for everyone.