Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi-Lokonga could be handed a transfer out of the club by Vincent Kompany this summer, with his Gunners future looking uncertain.
The 23-year-old has spent the second half of the season on loan at Crystal Palace, making just nine Premier League appearances during his time in South London. Having failed to make an impact at the 12th-placed Eagles, he is set to return to the Gunners this summer with an uncertain future ahead of him.
However, he could be handed a reprieve, with the arrival of Burnley in the Premier League following their promotion from the Championship. Kompany worked with the midfielder at Anderlecht during the 2020/21 season and has previously spoken of his admiration for his fellow Belgian.
In 2021, after Lokonga's £15million move to Arsenal from Anderlecht, Kompany revealed in an interview with Rio Ferdinand's Vibe with Five YouTube channel his admiration for the player. He said: “When I was still at City, I was coming to a point where I was thinking about my future, to become a manager or sign a new deal.
“I was watching football from different countries, different places and I saw Sambi play his first game, first two games for Anderlecht and then he got a big injury to his knee.
“The first thing I did when I saw Sambi is I went to Mikel [Arteta] and also Pep [Guardiola], but Mikel first and said, “You got to watch this guy, he’s the new Yaya Toure. Anyway, nothing comes off it, he’s got a cruciate ligament [injury].
“Then I fall into the management job at Anderlecht, so I’m working with him. I had the same conversation with Mikel and I believe the same thing now.”
Arteta brought Lokonga to the club in the summer of 2021, with the young box-to-box midfielder making 39 appearances in his first 18 months at the club. However, he is believed to have been unhappy with his treatment and may not have a future under Arteta with the expected arrival of midfield reinforcements, including a potential deal to sign Declan Rice.
Lokonga has a deal running until June 2026 at Arsenal, and there could be the chance of another loan deal with the club facing little pressure of making a big loss on the Belgian. This could see him move to Burnley for next season, with the hope of returning to Arsenal in the future as a more complete player.
He would have to break into a well-polished unit, with former Anderlecht teammate Josh Cullen forming an efficient unit alongside Jack Cork and Josh Brownhill as the Clarets finished with 101 points in the second tier.
Arsenal have had issues in midfield this season, with a lack of depth exposed following Lokonga's move to Palace. Injury to Mohamed Elneny left huge pressure on the trio of Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Granit Xhaka, with an injury to the latter leaving the Gunners exposed at a crucial part of the season.
