Signed for just under £16m in the summer, there was a feeling Albert Sambi Lokonga might be eased into Mikel Arteta’s plans at Arsenal, but that’s not what happened.
Thrown in immediately at the deep end against Brentford and Chelsea in the first two games of the season, the young Belgian played all 180 minutes in those games before being benched for the next fixture against Manchester City.
The 21-year-old never came on in the 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad, and that might have been for the best.
Why he was relegated to the bench, however, remains a mystery to the player, who was asked about the strange situation in a long interview with Sport/Foot Magazine this week, and whether it was done as protection.
He said: “I don’t know, I haven’t spoken about it with the manager. You’d have to ask him. Either way, on the bench, I felt humiliated. Exactly like if I was on the pitch.
“Many talked about that stat of 81% of possession for Manchester City in the second half. They also often forget we were down to 10 men from the 35th minute onwards and Granit Xhaka’s sending off at that time”.
Since then, however, Arsenal have gone undefeated, beating both Norwich City and Burnley with 1-0 scoreline before dismantling Tottenham at the Emirates 3-1.
Lokonga only started the game against the Canaries, coming off the bench in the two others, but it’s clear Arteta’s trust in him is still there, and it could be that those first three losses were exactly what the Gunners needed to set things straight.
The young midfielder added: “You’re going to tell me it’s a stock answer, but I think that it’s when things are tough that you strengthen the links in a team, in a group of staff.
“Here, now, we are all looking in the same direction. We all want to sail the boat forward. We know we need to progress still. We especially need to be meaner”.
The last few games has shown a more ruthless side to Arteta’s team, and their next chance to demonstrate this will be on Saturday against in-form Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.
