In a recent report from Football.London, it was stated that Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga could be involved in a swap deal proposed by Juventus. The Gunners failed to reinforce their central midfield ranks in the last transfer window despite being linked with several midfielders throughout the window. It was also stated that the swap deal would involve Weston Mckennie going the other way.
Lokonga’s Recent Run Of Form For Arsenal
Lokonga has had a decent start to his campaign as he has put in a few impressive displays in the centre of the park mostly coming off the bench or playing in the Europa League. He has made nine appearances for the Gunners this season but hasn’t found the back of the net or set up his teammates in front of the goal.
The Verviers-born talent has only come off the bench to create an impact hence he hasn’t been consistent in the final third or the defensive third of the pitch. He has only averaged 0.2 key passes, 0.2 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 0.3 clearances in the English first division owing to appearing as a late substitute.
However, he has managed to distribute the ball efficiently after completing 94.3% of his attempted passes in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored).
Should Arteta Agree On A Swap Deal?
Lokonga excels at distributing the ball to his teammates and creating some decent chances in the final third. He can make a few decisive passes to pick out open teammates to set them up in front of the goal. Furthermore, he can also make a few dangerous runs down the midfield to orchestrate attacks on the counter.
At 22, he has the potential to improve further and grow into a solid player in the holding positions. However, Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka are well above the pecking order which does not grant Lokonga enough playtime.
Mikel Arteta had done well to identify potential targets in the last transfer window to reinforce the central areas of the field so agreeing to a swap deal could be beneficial as he could bring in McKennie who plays as a deep-lying defensive midfielder which could bring some burden off the Xhaka and Partey duo.
