A round-up of the latest Arsenal news as Albert Sambi Lokonga discusses his future at the Gunners and Adrian Clarke issues a bold claim about Bukayo Saka facing FC Porto.
Lokonga ‘hasn’t had any contact’ from Arteta since leaving Arsenal on loan
Belgium midfielder Lokonga claims ‘I have not had any contact’ from Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta since joining Luton Town on loan. The Kenilworth Road natives signed the 24-year-old in a season-long deal in September. But he still sees his future at Emirates Stadium.
Lokonga will return to north London at the end of the term, at which point his contract will still have two years to run. Arsenal offered him a five-year deal to join from RSC Anderlecht in July 2021. But the Verviers native struggled to establish a prominent spot in Arteta’s squad.
Arteta only started Lokonga in 26 of his 39 appearances over a possible 70 games across all competitions for Arsenal. He also shipped the midfielder out on loan to Crystal Palace in the second half of last term. Now, Lokonga hopes to discuss his future at Arsenal this summer.
“I think it’s too early to say,” Lokonga explained, via quotes by the Mirror. “I haven’t had any contact with Mikel Arteta yet. I’m concentrating on Luton. We’ll talk to Arsenal at the end of the season but everything will happen gradually. I still consider myself an Arsenal player.
“I’m appreciated there by the fans and the staff. I think I can have a future at Arsenal but that will depend on my performances here. I’ve always said that as long as I have a contract with the Gunners, I’d like to make my mark there.”
Read more about what Lokonga has had to say about his future at Arsenal, here.
Clarke feels Saka ‘puts a doubt in the mind’ of Porto’s left-back
Former Arsenal winger Adrian Clarke feels Saka ‘put a doubt in the mind’ of Porto’s left-back by scoring his superb goal at Burnley last Saturday. Presenter Ian Stone also believes Saka is ‘almost unplayable’ when operating at the levels seen at Turf Moor during the 5-0 drubbing.
Saka hit the back of the Clarets’ net twice to move onto 15 goals and 12 assists in 32 outings so far this term. He has also hit home 12 of his goals, plus eight assists, in 24 Premier League outings. While the 22-year-old hit three goals and four assists in five Champions League ties.
He will strive to add to his tally when Arsenal visit Porto in the first leg of their last 16 tie this Wednesday. And Clarke says Porto’s left-back, likely to be Wendell, will fear having to defend Saka after the Arsenal academy product fired the ball home after jockeying Hannes Delcroix.
“He is almost unplayable when he is in that sort of mood,” Stone claimed on the Handbrake Off podcast. To which, Clarke replied: “It makes a hell of a difference. You’ve got to keep full-backs guessing… That goal, now, instantly puts a doubt in the mind of the Porto left-back.”
Read more about what Clarke has said about Saka and Arsenal’s tie with Porto, here.
Ballack feels Ozil was ‘misunderstood’ amid his Arsenal struggles
Germany legend Michael Ballack thinks Mesut Ozil was ‘misunderstood’ towards the end of his time at Arsenal. He feels the midfielder received undue criticism for his struggles having faced expectations beyond what the 35-year-old thought his role entailed as the playmaker.
Ballack said on the Football’s Greatest podcast: “Maybe he made a few mistakes in terms of when things are not going so well anymore, you have to change – you need to break [and] you need to see what is coming.
“Maybe he was not well advised – I don’t know. But a player with his ambition and quality should be more relaxed to accept that if someone is not working anymore, you need to go a different way. And maybe he was a bit stubborn to stay that long-standing with his position.
“I didn’t look inside, I didn’t talk to him, but I can only explain it a bit from outside. I mean, he was not a player who really typically fought for the ball. He was a No10 and we have to accept these No10s with all their weaknesses.
“We love the advantages of these players because they make the difference, they bring joy into the game. But, on the other side, they have weaknesses and sometimes they feel misunderstood. If they get criticised, they don’t understand why they got criticised because they were misunderstood.”
Arsenal ultimately part-funded Ozil’s switch to Fenerbache in January 2021 by continuing to pay 90% of his £350k-a-week wage, per The Athletic. He had spent seven and a half years at the Emirates, whilst offering 44 goals and 79 assists from 254 games in all competitions.
Read more about what Ballack has said about Ozil’s time at Arsenal, here.
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