Anderlecht sporting director Peter Verbeke believes that Albert Sambi Lokonga will be a success story at Arsenal. Lokonga was revealed as an Arsenal player on Monday, Joining Nuno Tavares has the two incomings in the transfer window so far. Arsenal have also been linked with moves for Ben White and Hassem Aouor. Lokonga has been with Anderlecht throughout his career. The sporting director joined Anderlecht last season and has seen improvements in the midfielder at his time for the club.
“Sambi is of course a very good player. He’s one of the top talents coming from our academy. He can play as a defensive midfield player, he can play as a box-to-box player and, especially the last two seasons at the club, he has developed really well.” Anderlecht sporting director Peter Verbeke said after Albert Sambi Lokonga joined Arsenal. “He’s someone who is good on the ball, his technical ability in tight spaces is really good. Good short passing, good long passing. He’s always been a late developer so it’s only in the last season that his physical development really came into place.”
“It means now he has the qualities to be able to recover more balls, he’s better in duels and that’s why I think he could develop in a role as a defensive midfielder for Arsenal in years to come,” he added. “Of course he still has some working points; he needs to get better statistics as a box-to-box and needs to be a little bit tougher in duels as a defensive midfielder, but he already did really well last season and I expect him only to do better in the next season.”
