Transfer Centre

Arsenal 'keen to offload Albert Sambi Lokonga permanently'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 22 May 2023

Arsenal reportedly plan to offload Belgian midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga permanently this summer, and Mikel Arteta is ready to freeze him out of the squad.

Arsenal are reportedly planning to offload out-of-favour midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga permanently during the summer transfer window.

Having earned rave reviews from his time at Anderlecht under Vincent Kompany, the Belgium international signed for the Gunners in a £15.2m deal in the summer of 2021.

Lokonga impressed during his first pre-season at the club and made regular Premier League starts in his first few months, but he quickly fell down the pecking order.

Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey have largely been untouchable in midfield this season, while Mohamed Elneny was also preferred over Lokonga before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

The January arrival of Jorginho would have also limited Lokonga's game time further, and Arsenal allowed the 23-year-old to join Crystal Palace on loan for the remainder of the season.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in action with Crystal Palace's Albert Sambi Lokonga on February 25, 2023 © Reuters

However, Lokonga has failed to reignite his career at Selhurst Park, making just six Premier League starts and appearing in a further three games off the bench.

The Belgian won over Patrick Vieira, but since the Frenchman's sacking, he has played just 70 minutes under Roy Hodgson and has been an unused substitute in the Eagles' last four matches.

Palace do not possess the option to convert Lokonga's loan deal into a permanent move, and the midfielder is therefore due to return to Arsenal, where he is under contract until 2026.

Another loan exit for Lokonga has been mooted amid links with a reunion with Kompany at Burnley, but according to Football Insider, Mikel Arteta wants him gone for good.

The report adds that Arteta is prepared to freeze Lokonga out of the squad in a bid to engineer a move away, and the midfielder is already attracting numerous offers from elsewhere.

Arsenal's Albert Lokonga during the warm up before the match on August 13, 2021 © Reuters

The former Anderlecht starlet has made 39 appearances for the Gunners since arriving two years ago, but he has failed to register a goal or assist for the North London club.

Nevertheless, Lokonga's strong early form with Arsenal caught the eye of then-Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, who handed him his senior Red Devils debut in a World Cup 2022 qualifying win over Estonia in September 2021.

Lokonga's exit will likely come as part of a significant midfield rejig for Arsenal, who are also set to wave goodbye to Xhaka as he closes in on a £13m move to Bayer Leverkusen.

The Gunners are supposedly planning to bolster their engine room with the signings of West Ham United's Declan Rice and Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo, the latter of whom was the subject of two failed offers from Arsenal in January.

Arteta is reportedly set to be handed a budget of £200m for summer transfers after leading Arsenal to a second-placed finish in the Premier League, which could see the North London giants break their single-window spending record.