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Mikel Arteta challenges Sambi Lokonga to improve his performances
Mikel Arteta has challenged young midfielder Sambi Lokonga to keep improving his performances on the pitch with the Belgian keen to earn more opportunities in the Premier League
Lokonga, who joined the club from Anderlecht in 2021, recently admitted that he thought about leaving the club in the summer following a frustrating debut season in north London.
Arsenal’s absence from European competition last season meant Lokonga’s chances in the first team came few and far between as he notched 25 appearances in all competitions. The Belgian appeared in half of the Gunners’ Premier League outings during his debut campaign, which appears reasonable on the surface given his inexperience at the highest level, but Lokonga wanted more from Arteta and the club.
Mikel Arteta challenges Sambi Lokonga to improve his performances
Mikel Arteta on if he seen enough from Sambi Lokonga not to buy a midfielder in January:
— AfcVIP⁴⁹ (@VipArsenal) October 26, 2022
"We'll see more. He needs to prove that what he is asking for he can produce on the pitch. And that's the challenge for every single player, to raise the level." [Hayters TV]
The Europa League has presented Lokonga with an opportunity to play regularly for the Gunners at the start of the 2022/23 season, but the Premier League gig is very much Thomas Partey’s to lose.
Lokonga deputised for the Ghanaian twice in September, impressing against Aston Villa before struggling in the defeat at Old Trafford.
The former Anderlecht midfielder is blessed with an impressive skill set that could see him evolve into a metronomic #6, or potentially a dynamic #8, but he’s still very raw and needs to mature if he’s to earn regular Premier League minutes.
Lokonga hasn’t made a league appearance since he came off the bench for a 17-minute cameo in the North London derby at the start of October. The Belgian has been an unused substitute in Arsenal’s last three domestic outings, and Arteta hinted that he needs to see more from the 23-year-old.
Speaking ahead of Thursday’s trip to Eindhoven, the Arsenal boss said: “We’ll see more, and he [Lokonga] has to prove that what he’s asking for he can produce on the pitch.
“We’re looking for every single player to raise their level and get the right competition in the team, and when you play and perform in a way that we win and play well enough to win games.”
Your move, Sambi.