Assessing: Albert Sambi-Lokonga

'With his qualities, at his age, he stands out for me'. 

Those were the words of Vincent Kompany on Arsenal's new signing, Albert Sambi-Lokonga.

At a glance, the 21 year-old certainly looks like an intriguing prospect. Lokonga has been Anderlecht's club captain. This summer he was called up to Belgium's provisional squad for the Euro's. But does the midfielder warrant all the talk around his name?

Despite suffering a cruciate ligament rupture as a teenager, Lokonga has already made 61 appearances for Anderlecht in the Jupiler League. It was in the 2019/20 season, where the midfielder truly announced himself on the scene, in the face of all the difficulties his club were experiencing.

At the beginning of last season, Vincent Kompany was handed the reins at Anderlecht. Clearly Lokonga made a strong impact on the former Manchester City defender, as he was appointed club captain less than 2 months into Kompany's tenure.

But what do the stats say? Will Lokonga be able to seamlessly slot into Arsenal's midfield?

Arsenal's main downfall last season was their lack of creativity. They were 4th in the league for passes into the final third, but ranked only 11th for key passes (passes leading to a shot). Undoubtedly, Arteta is looking for a more progressive, dynamic midfield. Whilst Lokonga will not be expected to carry the main responsibility for this, how he progresses the ball up the pitch will be significant. Out of Arsenal's central midfielders from last season, Lokonga ranked 2nd, only behind Dani Ceballos for chances created per 90, with 0.9.

According to Smarterscout data, Lokonga scored a progressive passing rating of 55/99. Although it's not an eye-catching total, it bettered Xhaka's, Partey's and Elneny's ratings from last season.

Lokonga possesses a tall frame, standing at 6'0. When progressing the ball through carries, you can witness his languid style of movement, with lengthy strides - similar to those of Paul Pogba. Whether this is deliberate or not, it is an effective technique to progress the ball up the pitch, and to win free-kicks. He was fouled on average 3.13 times per 90 last season, the 6th most of any player in the Jupiler League. Lokonga is confident at picking up the ball deep within his own half, his press-resistance allows him to travel up the pitch and create quick transitions.

Last season in the Jupiler League, Lokonga managed 62 passes per 90 with an 84% passing accuracy. Although the Belgian failed to retain the ball as well as Arsenal's midfielders from last season, his willingness to punch the ball through the lines, will offer Arsenal a high risk/high reward approach. That being said, Lokonga is not loose with his passing. He scored 53/99 from Smarterscout for his ball retention ability. A figure slightly above the Premier League average for midfielders.

"Will Sambi win his duels? Is he improving his defensive work? You ask yourself these questions as a coach. Well, I've seen him make a lot of progress in that area." These are the thoughts that Kompany has pondered of late. Whilst he believes Lokonga's defending has improved over the last year, there is still room for improvement.

His Smarterscout ratings for ball recoveries and interceptions ranks low (20/99). Meanwhile, his ability to disrupt opposition moves rates at only 20/99. Instead, Lokonga is a player that intercepts the space. It seems that this is a type of player that Arteta is gravitating towards. Another transfer target, Ben White offers similar qualities.

The midfielder's heatmap (Sofascore) from the last season illustrates the all-action nature of Lokonga's game. It's no surprise given the player's tall frame, and fluid style of movement. Rather than being someone who will rack up lots of interceptions, Lokonga looks like a player that will hound opponents into misplacing passes, as Arteta looks to re-energise Arsenal's, at times, pedestrianised, midfield.

Guendouzi and Ceballos have already departed Arsenal. The likelihood is that Torreira, Xhaka and Willock might join them. There's clearly a need for Arsenal to replenish their midfield. Although it doesn't appear that Lokonga is quite ready to perform consistently for Arsenal in the Premier League, he will take comfort in the instant impact that Guendouzi made at the club.

Lokonga and Partey have similar player profiles, but there is still a possibility that they could work together in a double-pivot, if Arteta is to continue with the 4-2-3-1.

The most likely scenario is that Arsenal will invest in another central midfielder to pair with Partey, with Lokonga clocking up the majority of his minutes via the bench.

For a relatively modest fee, Lokonga represents a smart investment. His role of captaining Anderlecht to a much-improved 3rd placed finish will not have been lost on Arteta. But, it's Lokonga's progressive carrying of the ball which would have been the primary factor in convincing Arteta. The 21 year-old will look to revitalise Arsenal's midfield. However, concerns over his defensive stability and the likelihood that the youngster will take time to adapt to the pressures of the Premier League means that Lokonga will be re-energising Arsenal's midfield from the bench for the time being.