Former Arsenal star Ian Wright has leapt to the defence of under-fire Gunners’ star Albert Sambi Lokonga after the Belgian was on the end of a Martin Odegaard rant.
The former Anderlecht midfielder started on the bench for the North London side’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester City but was introduced after the break following an injury to Thomas Partey. He endured a tricky evening and struggled to find a foothold in midfield.
A video of Norwegian playmaker Odegaard lashing out at his teammate for his positional awareness went viral shortly after the final whistle. Fans also claimed that Lokonga would not be the ideal replacement for Partey should the Ghanaian be out for an extended period.
Wright has claimed, however, that the young midfielder’s lack of game time contributed to his slow start and will be up to speed sooner rather than later. Speaking to ITV, the former striker said: “With someone like Sambi, he needs minutes, he needs to be playing, he needs to be able to understand and be more wary of where he is and what he needs to do and where he needs to be dropping in.
"You’ve got to kind of sense that danger and that’s why he needs the minutes in games of this quality, because that’s where you learn."
Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane was not left particularly convinced though. “But you hope at this stage and at this level they’ve already learned that part of the game. It’s a big concern,” he replied to Wright.
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Arteta might have some thinking to do regarding his midfield following next weekend’s Premier League trip to Goodison Park to face Everton. Should Partey be restricted to the sidelines, he could potentially be set to join colleague Mohamed Elneny on the sidelines.
That would leave just Granit Xhaka and Sambi Lokonga as the Gunners’ defensive midfield options - albeit Ben White and recent signing Jakub Kiwior being able to deputise in the heart of the side. Arsenal though could potentially turn to the transfer market to add to their ranks.
Arteta has already expressed his desire for more options. Speaking last week, he said: “We need some more cover in midfield ideally if we can. In this market it’s pretty complicated to do that.”
Arsenal are running out of time in which to conduct their January business with the market set to close on Tuesday evening. The North London side have been linked with a move for Brighton star Moises Caicedo and have already lodged two bids for the Ecuadorian midfielder.
It remains to be seen whether the Gunners can rubber stamp a deal for him between now and the deadline but the club will have been given considerable encouragement after Caicedo’s statement on social media. Brighton have responded to his request for a move by telling him to stay away from the club’s training ground.
