A player for Arsenal is said to have said that the club told him to leave this summer because he is no longer in Mikel Arteta’s plans.
Albert Sambi Lokonga, an Arsenal player who served a loan spell at Luton Town, has been told to leave the club this summer. Lokonga joined Arsenal in July 2021 after ten years with Anderlecht. He played in 34 Premier League games, 24 of which were in a great first season with the Gunners.
Lokonga chose to go on loan to Luton Town at the start of the season because he wasn’t getting enough chances to play for Arsenal’s first team. Even though Luton was tough, Lokonga’s play stood out, and famous people, like Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, praised it.
“Lokonga, when you watch him play, do you think, ‘Oh, he’s an Arsenal player on loan?'” “Interesting,” Klopp said in February before a game against Luton.
Lokonga felt better after moving to Luton. People who know the 24-year-old said that he had lost hope at Arsenal last season after only six Premier League games before being moved to Crystal Palace in January. Lokonga and other players like Rob Holding and Nuno Tavares were told in the summer that Mikel Arteta did not plan to use them this season.
Lokonga felt this made him want to find new possibilities. Burnley was interested, and manager Vincent Kompany was thinking about making a move. He had worked with Lokonga at Anderlecht before. But in the end, Burnley went after other goals.
By signing Lokonga on the last day of the transfer window, Luton became a late candidate. Many people were shocked by the move, but Lokonga agreed after boss Rob Edwards personally pitched the idea to him. Importantly, Edwards promised Lokonga game time, which was a big reason why he made his choice.
Lokonga did great on the field and found a surprising liking for Luton. Even though he hurt his hamstring earlier in the season, he decided to stay at Luton for treatment instead of going back to Arsenal. Even though Luton was relegated after only one season in the Premier League, Lokonga’s good times at the club were clear.
Lokonga talked about his future with the BBC: “I talked to Arsenal about it, and we both agreed that the best thing for me was to leave the club. Now it’s up to my agent and the club to find something.” “Let’s see what happens. I still have a contract there for one year with an option for another year.”
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