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Albert ‘Sambi’ Lokonga could be headed for the Emirates exit this summer.
There were high hopes for the Belgian international when the Gunners signed him from Anderlecht in July 2021, but, despite making 39 appearances in all competitions, many of those have been on the bench, and he has never convinced in a Gunners shirt.
Brought in as back-up to Thomas Partey, he has too often been anonymous in games, and did nothing to convince Mikel Arteta he should have played more often.
In January, he joined Crystal Palace on loan, and has’ already played five times for Patrick Vieira’s side and will be hoping for more game time in South London before the end of the season.
That may serve as an audition to see if Palace will want to buy him permanently.
With the Gunners looking to sell fringe players to help fund their expected summer transfer business, Lokonga appears surplus to requirements at the Emirates.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.