Albert Sambi Lokonga has had the opportunity to impress in the Europa League this season and he has failed to grasp his chances. His performance against PSV has been his worst this season. The Belgian has been vocal about his lack of game time but when given the opportunity to pose questions to Arteta, he hasn’t been able to capitalise.
His early second-half substitution against PSV for Thomas Party highlighted Arteta’s discontent with his performance on Thursday evening. Sambi Lokonga failed to prove why he should be given more game time.
It is because of this that Arsenal could potentially look to offload the midfielder at the next given opportunity. And if reports are to be believed, then he could be used to further strengthen Arteta’s midfield.
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According to Italian news outlet Calciomercato, Arsenal are willing to offer Sambi Lokonga as part of a deal to sign Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Arsenal’s likelihood to win a game increases by a large margin when Partey is playing compared to when he is absent from kick-off. Since his arrival in 2020, he has been an automatic starter under Arteta.
However, his consistent injury issues prevent Arsenal from being able to rely on the midfielder. Sambi Lokonga has had numerous of attempts to impress in the absence of Partey, but has constantly shown that he cannot impact the midfield the same way Partey does, which explains the Gunners’ potential intentions to offload the midfielder.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic had been linked to Arsenal in the past, as Italian publication Il Mattino claimed that Lazio are hoping to sell the 27-year-old to either Arsenal or United for around €55-60 million (£46-50 million). Italian outlet Tutto Juve, via Sport Witness, previously reported that the Gunners were ready to up their efforts for the midfielder. The report adds that Arsenal were willing to offer £42million for his services.
Last season, the Gunners looked lightweight at times in midfield as Partey and Granit Xhaka both suffered from injury. They have already added playmaker Fabio Vieira to their squad this summer, and a deal for Milinkovic-Savic would add some much-needed competition for Swiss international Xhaka.
With Sambi Lokonga failing to impress when given the opportunity, he certainly could be used as a makeweight to drive down the price of Milinkovic-Savic. Arsenal needs to strengthen in the midfield department and a swap deal could be the cheapest way to do this.
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