Structure of Albert Sambi Lokonga move from Arsenal to Sevilla revealed, Edu must do better

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga will now join Spanish side Sevilla ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Arsenal have officially confirmed the departure of Albert Sambi Lokonga, who will join Sevilla on a season-long loan deal.

The Belgian midfielder spent last season on loan with Luton Town, and impressed for the Premier League strugglers, but could not do enough for the Hatters to stave off relegation. Despite his impressive form at Kenilworth Road, though, he could not work his way back into Mikel Arteta’s plans.

Arsenal recently told Lokonga to seek a new club. It must be presumed, though, that the Gunners would rather have offloaded the 24-year-old on a permanent basis. It is clear that he has no future at Arsenal, after all.

Sporting director Edu has failed to secure a permanent exit for Lokonga, and will now be hoping that the player can impress sufficiently over the course of his loan spell in order to convince the La Liga side to secure his services on a permanent basis. 

• READ MORE: All Mikel Arteta signings at Arsenal ranked from worst to best

Details of Albert Sambi Lokonga switch from Arsenal to Sevilla emerge

According to journalist Simon Collings, reporting on X, Sevilla will have the option to sign Lokonga permanently for a fee in the region of £10 million. If that offer is taken up, then Arsenal will retain a 25% sell-on clause.

Given the Gunners paid £15 million to sign Lokonga from Anderlecht in the summer of 2021, they are set to record a loss no matter what happens. Of course, this is not a huge disaster, as signing a young midfielder from the Belgian top flight for a relatively modest fee was always something of a punt. 

Arsenal sporting director Edu must do better with player sales

Clearly, the gamble on the once-capped Belgium international didn’t pay off. However, the manner in which Arsenal have struggled to offload the player is more of a cause for concern.

Edu has excelled in many areas since his appointment as Arsenal sporting director. He has worked closely with Arteta to build the current first-team squad. Arsenal have also been hailed for the evolution in their approach to managing player contracts. Edu deserves credit for these successes. 

However, Arsenal still need to improve their record as a selling club. The fact that the Gunners have been forced into allowing Lokonga to leave on yet another loan deal, rather than a permanent sale, shows that there is still work to be done in this regard.