Arsenal: 4 forgotten players under Arteta this season

Albert Sambi Lokonga

Just one start in the previous 15 Premier League matches – that one being the result of red card mayhem in midfield – is a considerable drop off from featuring in some capacity in 12 of the opening 13 games.

The situation worked out very well for Sambi Lokonga. Thomas Partey getting an injury in pre-season was only briefly catered for by Granit Xhaka, who missed two matches through suspension and then suffered his knee injury in the North London Derby.

It will never have been Arteta’s intention to use Sambi as heavily as he did, but the cards fell for the young Belgian to make an impression ahead of schedule.

For the most part, he did. There were expected teething issues with the general pace of the division, as Sambi did struggle to work on his spacing and tracking midfield runners, but he improved over time and began showing his finer qualities on the ball with some lovey ranged distribution.

When Partey and Xhaka are fit, however, they play. That’s the rule and nobody is arguing against it.

That comes to Sambi’s detriment, who in the 4-3-3 system is finding game time at a premium. He, like so many others, will be longing for next season when Arsenal will hopefully have four competitions to compete in, granting him the opportunities he had at the start of this season.

Will he have a part to play between now and the end of the season? You wouldn’t bet against it.

Continued on next page…