Arsenal: 3 Albert Sambi Lokonga tactical roles under Arteta

Arsenal are signing players at a rate of one every 20 days, so we now wait for Ben White to be completed on August 8th! But no, jokes aside, Albert Sambi Lokonga has been confirmed and it’s a brilliant piece of business from the club. There is a lot to like.

Confirmed on Monday, ‘Sambi’ has signed a four-year deal with the option of an extra 12 months and will wear the No. 23 shirt. Interestingly, that leaves only #8, #10 and #18 free to choose from. That’s another discussion, though.

Desperately needing midfielders this summer with a host, supposedly, set for the exit door, Arsenal have acquired a highly rated 21-year-old for an upfront fee of £15m that has all the hallmarks of being a suave addition.

Arsenal have the Florida Cup pencilled in on Sunday, should they travel, which will present supporters with their first glimpse of the Belgian in action.

3 Albert Sambi Lokonga tactical roles under Mikel Arteta after Arsenal complete second transfer of summer window

A lot has been written about the midfielder and he arrives from Anderlecht with numerous admirers, which is enough in itself to get fans excited. But where will he play?

Sambi is not someone who will be immediately thrust into the starting lineup and despite being a regular for his former side as well as part-time captain, patience will be needed with him. Nonetheless, with the midfield set to shrink at Arsenal, the minutes are there to be had.

His development will be monitored accordingly as Mikel Arteta begins work on instilling his ideas in him, but his profile and style gives the manager the opportunity to field him in three different positions, with three different tactical roles.

Indications are that he can fulfill all three further down the line.

1. Double Pivot Partner in 4-2-3-1

Vincent Kompany has adopted a 4-3-3 system since taking the reins at Anderlecht and Sambi’s role in that differs from the 4-3-2-1 setup that Arteta appears to be sticking with for the time being.

Lining up on the right of the midfield three, were he to move into a double pivot his role would differ slightly.

Looking across Arteta’s options, a partnership of Sambi and Thomas Partey seems unlikely. If comparing the Belgian to any other midfielder in the squad, he shares most similarities with the Ghanaian. Were he to be fielded with a more box-to-box option like Joe Willock, his capabilities as a No. 6 would be called into action more.

A strong passer of the ball at all ranges, his long distribution is excellent and playing as the deeper of the pivot he’ll be able to unlock that potential in transition. Averaging 5.18 long passes/90 for a 60.3% accuracy is very impressive numbers for someone his age. With a large concentration of his long balls reaching wide areas, it will suit the attacking full-backs Arteta employs.

His proactive reading of danger (he ranked fifth for interceptions by midfielders in the Pro League last season) suits with a more willing midfield runner alongside, able to break up play and feed the charges of a, say, Willock.

His progressive passing qualities would be more useful but the ever-changing shape in Arteta’s initial 4-2-3-1 would allow him to demonstrate his more attack-minded strengths. He boasts the box-to-box qualities in his locker, mostly seen with his progressive carrying ability, and in a possession-based side he will be able to be on the ball more often in advanced areas.

It looks set to be the position he plays most often if Arteta’s style last season is anything to go by.

2. The Solitary No. 6 in a 4-3-3

Will we ever see the 4-3-3 under Arteta? Almost definitely. The question is when, and if Arteta will keep his job long enough to begin implementing it.

The personnel might not be what the manager wants just yet but if there was ever a time to begin implementing the transition then this summer suits best of all. The time not spent travelling around Europe can be spent on the training pitch perfecting it. Makes sense.

Now, Sambi is not ready to be anchoring a midfield in the Premier League. It’s a considerable demand of a 21-year-old who has never played football outside of Belgium to be doing so.

However, there may come spells in matches, as well as when Partey is away at AFCON, where variations of this role are evident. Despite lining up on the right of a midfield trio for Anderlecht, Sambi spent most of his time being the deepest operator in midfield.

Not an Yves Bissouma destroyer type No. 6, Sambi sets the tone instead. In a 4-3-3 he loves to drop in between the centre-backs and collect possession deep, where he has the view of the pitch to progress.

As the sole No. 6 his superb passing vision can come to the fore. Of all his key qualities, none are as striking than his ability to make line breaking passes from deep. The accuracy and speed of these passes completely disorganises opposition formations and adds gloriously needed pace to attacks. The laborious nature of some of Arsenal’s play last season was crying out for more tempo.

Defensively there is still some clear work to be done for him to be entrusted in this role in the Premier League. He can be guilty of gambling (which when it comes off is proactive genius) in challenges and can sometimes be overzealous in his duels. Matteo Guendouzi was criticised for being a headless chicken and while Sambi is some way off that he does have a tendency to over commit in certain situations.

3. As a More Attacking Box-to-Box Midfielder

In his first interview with Arsenal after signing the question of what his best position is was posed to Sambi. His answer?

"“I can play both,” he said. “I can play as a six and I can play like a box to box, but people say that I’m better in the six position.”"

While he may have had someone tell him he’s best suited to being a No. 6, Sambi can absolutely star in a freer box-to-box. This is one that could come either in a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, with the latter then opening the door for him to play with a defensive-minded Mohamed Elneny or Partey.

With such a rounded skillset, having his defensive shackles loosened slightly will allow him to move and progress the ball more, facilitate and link the play more frequently. Athletic and strong for his age, his ball progression also comes in the form of carries, a hugely alluring trait to have on top of his progressive passing abilities.

His technique isn’t exactly refined but it’s very effective and on the run he boasts decent enough speed to bypass a marker. Where he can also be useful in advanced positions is with his high volume of tackles high up the pitch. Sambi likes to win the ball back quickly to put the breaks on opposition counter-attacks and Arsenal’s failure to recycle at pace was one of the major sticking points last season.

Three goals for Anderlecht last season needs tempering with the position he was asked to play as well as the numerous tactical roles bestowed on him. It’s not sure yet what Arteta has in mind for him but the potential it absolutely there for him to be eased of his defensive duties and develop in the box-to-box role.

As it stands he looks set to be integrated slowly and it’s far too soon to be throwing him in as a single pivot in a 4-3-3, of course, yet the possibilities are there thanks to his varied skillset.

A very strong signing with huge upside. Seems like a thoroughly nice young man, too.