Albert Sambi Lokonga Ready to Leave Arsenal This Summer
Albert Sambi Lokonga has admitted that he is looking to leave Arsenal this summer in order to secure regular playing time. The 23-year-old midfielder has struggled to make an impact since his £17.2 million move from Anderlecht in 2021 and was loaned out to Crystal Palace for the second half of last season.
Burnley are already keen on signing Lokonga this summer, with Vincent Kompany, who managed him at Anderlecht, keen to be reunited with the midfielder. Kompany had previously labelled Lokonga as ‘the new Yaya Toure’ when he joined Arsenal in 2021.
Albert Sambi Lokonga Struggles to Make an Impact at Arsenal
Albert Sambi Lokonga joined Arsenal from Anderlecht in 2021 for a fee of £17.2 million. The midfielder had previously been managed by Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht and Kompany had labelled him as ‘the new Yaya Toure’.
However, Lokonga has struggled to make an impact at Arsenal and was unable to secure a regular role in Mikel Arteta’s side at the start of last season. As a result, he was allowed to join Crystal Palace on loan in the January transfer window.
Lokonga Ready to Leave Arsenal This Summer
When asked about his plans for the upcoming season on the YouTube channel Wonhee Hyung, Lokonga said: ‘I don’t know. I will try to go somewhere where I can play so that’s the most important thing for me – to have some games and play game after game.’
It appears that Lokonga is ready to leave Arsenal this summer in order to secure regular playing time. Burnley are already keen on signing him, with Vincent Kompany keen on being reunited with the midfielder.
Vincent Kompany Labels Lokonga as ‘the New Yaya Toure’
Speaking after Arsenal had signed Lokonga, Kompany revealed that he told Mikel Arteta that the club had signed ‘the new Yaya Toure’.
Kompany said: ‘I was watching football from different countries and I saw Sambi play his first two games for Anderlecht, then he got a big knee injury. But the first thing I did when I saw Sambi was I went to Mikel, and also Pep, but Mikel first and I said, “You’ve got to watch this guy, he’s the new Yaya Toure”.’
Kompany went on to say that Lokonga has things to improve on but that he has the same qualities as Yaya Toure in that he wants the ball no matter what and never hides away from his responsibility.
Conclusion
Albert Sambi Lokonga has admitted that he is looking to leave Arsenal this summer in order to secure regular playing time. Burnley are already keen on signing him, with Vincent Kompany keen on being reunited with the midfielder having labelled him as ‘the new Yaya Toure’ when he joined Arsenal in 2021. It remains to be seen where Lokonga will end up this summer but it appears that he is ready to leave Arsenal in order to secure regular playing time.