Arriving from Anderlecht last season in a £16m or so move, Arsenal’s Albert Sambi Lokonga has enjoyed a number of ups and downs at the Emirates.
He started off strongly when he first arrived, only to then disappear for most of the rest of the season, spending more time on the Gunners’ bench than off it.
This season has been quite similar, as the young Belgian has just two starts for Arsenal in the Premier League to date, one against Aston Villa in a 2-1 win and the other in the club’s only defeat of the campaign to date, which was a 3-1 loss to Manchester United.
Over the summer, there were a number of opportunities for him to leave, with rumours that Milan were interested in the midfielder.
Still, instead of choosing a way out, he decided to stay and fight for his spot, even if he did come close to leaving.
He said as much in an interview with DH over the weekend: “It’s a personal decision [to stay]. I wanted to give myself another year to stay at Arsenal and then see what happens. I think I have the qualities to succeed here. Last season, I didn’t perform at my best level. I still have things to prove.”
As for a potential exit, he said: “At the end of last season, I almost snapped. I called my agent to ask him if staying at Arsenal was a good idea. He comforted me in my choice, even though I know I need to start more often to develop.”
Lokonga also admitted that despite not playing that much, it was Arteta that partly convinced him to stay, revealing the Spanish manager has already spoken to him ‘a few times’ about his future at the club, adding that the Arsenal boss wants him to become a ‘respected leader’.
He then added: “He sees great potential in me. I must show a lot of rigour and maturity so that my teammates can rely on me.”
