Arsenal have lacked a true No.8 all season in their system – but have they already signed one for next season?
(Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Arsenal are resurgent since their blip over New Year, winning their last three games and laying down a marker in the title race.
Defeat at home to Liverpool would have all but guaranteed the Premier League trophy remaining in the northwest. Instead, the Gunners cut the gap on the Reds through a dominant display, as Kai Havertz and Jorginho both shone in their return to the team.
Both have been questioned about their place in the side at times since moving from Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium, with neither having a natural role in the midfield. Havertz has struggled at No.8 alongside Martin Odegaard, while Jorginho is more of a No.6, pushing Declan Rice further forward.
Kai Havertz isn't a No.8, is he? (Image credit: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
While both have their uses depending on the game though, Arsenal may have found the perfect option under their noses – who had a stunning game at the weekend – in Albert Sambi Lokonga.
There is virtually no expectation for the Belgian following his move to Luton Town on loan for the season. But Lokonga has been unlucky: injury plagued his first half of the season, while working under Patrick Vieira last season was curtailed when the Arsenal legend was sacked by Crystal Palace.
Lokonga is finally showing his worth, however. Against Newcastle United, the loanee was exceptional in the centre of the park, perhaps his best performance since Christmas. Sending him to a team that want to use physicality and possession under Rob Edwards was a great move, though the Hatters' lack of dominance in games means that Lokonga is learning how to play out of possession, too.
Does Albert Sambi Lokonga have a future at Arsenal? (Image credit: George Wood/Getty Images)
It's the perfect move for him. Edwards did his coaching badges with Mikel Arteta, knows the Basque boss well now and how he plays. Arsenal's loan system has certainly improved in recent seasons in this way, with more players moving to clubs who either have similar principles or who will mine a specific talent: Nuno Tavares, for example played in Igor Tudor's wing-back system at Marseille last term, while Folarin Balogun was a perfect fit for Will Still's football at Reims.
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Lokonga, too, looks a good fit for the left-sided centre-midfield position and could emerge as a serious option there along with a number of candidates in the ranks. Ethan Nwaneri and Myles-Lewis Skelly are both under 18 but could become top midfielders in time, too, while Charlie Patino is on loan at Swansea this season.
Arsenal lack that profile this season and have been linked extensively with the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Andre Onana. But in Lokonga, Arsenal may have a ready-made option who won't cost them a penny – meaning that funds could be directed towards a striker instead.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
