His compilations look terrible but I assumed it's because the idiots who make those videos don't actually bother to focus on a players strengths and just include clips of the handful of goals and assists they can find and a few floaty cross field balls.

Clrnc wrote:

Athletic ran an in depth stats feature on him. He's not outstanding in many departments except the defensive ones and aerially

I wouldn't mind that if we were signing a straight up starting DM for him to be back up to. Something like Partey-Bissouma/Tchouameni with Willock-Lokonga as their back ups would be decent.

Clrnc wrote:

I will link the article and the stat image later. I was surprised too, his stats for passing is really non expansive

Are you sure you got it right? Aside from carry/dribble he looks fairly rounded.

Full article for the cheap skates.

[spoiler][size=x-large][font=tiempos, serif]What Albert Sambi Lokonga could bring to Arsenal[/font][/size]
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[size=x-small][font=Calibre, sans-serif]By Art de Roché and Tom Worville Jun 16, 2021[size=xx-small]https://theathletic.com/app/themes/athletic/assets/img/comment-icon.png[/img] 58 https://theathletic.com/app/themes/athletic/assets/img/save-icon.png[/img][/size][/font][/size]
[size=medium][font=adobe-caslon-pro, serif]Arsenal’s recent focus has turned to Belgium Under-21 international Albert Sambi Lokonga as their need for midfield reinforcements heightens.
The Athletic revealed the club’s interest in the 21-year-old last week and a formal bid has now been made in the region of €15 million, with Anderlecht holding out for closer to €20 million.
He impressed at Anderlecht this season, taking the captain’s armband from December onwards and earning a place on Roberto Martinez’s Euro 2020 standby list.
Lokonga emerging as a transfer target provides proof that top-of-the-pitch creativity is not the sole priority for Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu this summer. Although a knockback in the pursuit of Martin Odegaard will disturb transfer plans, making their midfield more durable and dynamic is a front Arsenal will continue to fight on.
It is an area that has become too pedestrian and predictable. Arsenal ranked fifth in the Premier League in 2020-21 for total distance of passes (341,180 yards) but dropped down to 13th for progressive passing distance (93,564 yards), with much of their play too passive.
Arteta continuing with a 3-4-3 formation in the first half of the season contributed to this. Rather than looking forward to hit a No 10 or a striker, those in midfield tended to look wide to the wing-backs, who carried most of the attacking responsibility during this time.
Upon reverting to a 4-2-3-1, more vertical passing lanes opened up. Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka in particular benefited from this, ending the season rated 47/99 and 40/99 for progressive passing respectively by smarterscout. Smarterscout is a site that gives players a rating from 0-99, relating to either how often a player does a given stylistic action compared with others playing in that position.
Xhaka’s role, dropping between centre-back and left-back, was tailor-made for him, so the best example of this from Partey came in March’s comeback 3-3 draw against West Ham.
https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2021/06/15104439/Thomas-Partey-Forward-Pass-vs-West-Ham-2-1024x576.png[/img]
After receiving the ball under pressure from Jesse Lingard, Partey fires the ball through traffic into Alexandre Lacazette, who immediately looks for Bukayo Saka coming off the right.
https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2021/06/15104738/Thomas-Partey-Forward-Pass-vs-West-Ham-3.1-1024x576.png[/img]
This route forward was instrumental in Arsenal’s wresting back control of the game, as Partey helped improve the tempo alongside Martin Odegaard on the day.
https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2021/06/15104930/Thomas-Partey-Forward-vs-West-Ham-1-1024x576.png[/img]
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That urgency was not always present, however. Ensuring it is more of a feature in Arsenal’s play is necessary and Lokonga has the tools for that. Used as both a No 6 in a 4-3-3 (17 times) and a No 8 in a 4-2-3-1 (20 times) last season, he displayed a willingness to move the ball forward, whether that be by carrying it himself or passing.
Ending the campaign, his progressive passing rating of 55/99 bested Xhaka (47/99), Partey (40/99) and Mohamed Elneny’s (15/99) rating, which may play into the fact that he retained the ball at a lesser rate — albeit just above the Premier League average for a defensive midfielder.
https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2021/06/15062359/pass_style_albert_sambi_lokonga.png[/img]
Tending to attempt medium-range passes most often, this may be most useful in that middle third but it is important to consider how his style will translate into the Arsenal midfield.
As explored last week, Arteta has always been keen on a 4-3-3 system. He attempted it immediately during Project Restart but abandoned those plans due to the tools available at the time. Lokonga presents the option to move to that with his experience playing at the base of midfield in the same formation for Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht, where medium-range forward passes are vital.
https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2021/06/15105350/Albert-Sambi-Lokonga-Forward-Pass-vs-Germany-1-1024x576.png[/img]
Head up upon receiving the ball against Germany Under-21s, Lokonga quickly sees the picture and decides to pass the ball forwards.
https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2021/06/15105533/Albert-Sambi-Lokonga-Forward-Pass-vs-Germany-2-1024x576.png[/img]
If you look through videos of his season, passes like this will crop up frequently. These are the types of through balls that need to be made more often at the Emirates Stadium.
As well as having that experience, when given the licence to roam in a 4-2-3-1, Lokongo has proven he has the spatial awareness and agility to move away from pressure and travel with the ball.
In his seven games for Belgium Under-21s, he has been primarily used as a No 8, which is when he gets the freedom to advance a tad more, helping create better passing angles.
https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2021/06/15110145/Albert-Sambi-Lokonga-Movement-Redo-1024x576.png[/img]
As Orel Mangala pushed forward, Lokonga ghosted behind his marker to show for the ball.
His presence attracted a marker, he plays the ball inside and it’s immediately popped back into the vacated space.
https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2021/06/15110359/Albert-Sambi-Lokonga-Movement-vs-Germany-3-1024x576.png[/img]
Whether it be as a No 6 or a No 8 that ability to move away from trouble will be invaluable, especially as it appears an innate aspect of his game.
As a midfielder that can fulfil both holding and box-to-box roles, what he does out of possession will be important. It is clear, however, that stylistically, there will be more emphasis on what Lokonga does in possession rather than viewing him as a destroyer.
https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2021/06/15064636/pizza_albert_sambi_lokonga_DM_2020-21.png[/img]
In regards to tangible defensive actions, Lokonga is not too active, as seen in his ratings for ball recoveries and interceptions (20/99), and disrupting opposition moves (23/99). It is rare for him to rack up fouls, tackles, clearances and blocks when defending. Instead, he tries to defend spaces, which would suit Arteta, who made a big deal of the issue last season.
Between January and March, an incredibly high line was deployed. This worked well in January’s 3-1 win against Southampton.
Although he did not explain the reasoning, the Spaniard did similar against Manchester City and Leicester City in February, with Pablo Mari taking incredibly advanced positions to limit space inside.
Rather than relying on a centre-back to do that job, adding another capable midfielder who can block key passing lanes and apply pressure appears logical.
Though Lokonga is not always engaged in defensive duels, he is an effective tackler and is just above average when it comes to winning open-play headers, helped by his 6ft frame.
https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2021/06/15064423/duels_albert_sambi_lokonga.png[/img]
Ever-important in this discussion, however, is how his style will translate at Arsenal under Arteta.
For how encouraging his use of space when receiving passes is and the decisions he goes on to make with those passes, the time and space Lokonga has been given in the Jupiler League is much more than he would get in the Premier League.
Overcoaching is an accusation that has been laid at Arteta also and if that comes into play, and he is directing where the ball should go too often, that may leave less room for the instinct needed in midfield.
As a result, if Arsenal secure Lokonga’s signature, expecting carbon copies of his performances for Anderlecht immediately may not be wise. Captaining Anderlecht at 21 years old and overcoming two knee injuries to play 50 games over the past two seasons are impressive notes to his CV but allowing him time to develop is crucial.
With the qualities Lokonga possesses, this definitely feels like a step in the right direction. The dynamic of Arsenal’s midfield has been too static for too long. He has the qualities to build on the arrival of Partey last summer and add vibrancy to the middle third of the pitch, with much more room for him to develop.
More must be done to truly strengthen ahead of next season — Arsenal would be wise to continue their search for a creative midfield option — but, as the first active move of the summer, this could be a promising one.[/font][/size]
[/spoiler]

goon wrote:

His compilations look terrible but I assumed it's because the idiots who make those videos don't actually bother to focus on a players strengths and just include clips of the handful of goals and assists they can find and a few floaty cross field balls.

I can't stand videos that mainly consist of a player's goals/shots if they play any position bar up front. It's moronic.

goon wrote:

Am I right in thinking he's basically a budget Bissouma?

Pretty much. Also very raw still.

He looks nowhere near as fast / agile as Bissouma. More like a Xhaka replacement.

He sounds like a good upgrade on Elneny. I'm very pro replacing 28 year old nothing players with youngsters with potential.

He's actually a replacement for Torreira I would think. He will likely be the first choice backup MF and Elneny the 4th choice for the 2 at the base of MF unless we happen to bring in 2 more MFs, which I highly doubt. Likely Partey and a new partner backed up by Lokonga and Elneny?

Hopefully.

BWooley wrote:

He's actually a replacement for Torreira I would think. He will likely be the first choice backup MF and Elneny the 4th choice for the 2 at the base of MF unless we happen to bring in 2 more MFs, which I highly doubt. Likely Partey and a new partner backed up by Lokonga and Elneny?

That'd be a pretty shitty scenario.

Qwiss! wrote:

BWooley wrote:

He's actually a replacement for Torreira I would think. He will likely be the first choice backup MF and Elneny the 4th choice for the 2 at the base of MF unless we happen to bring in 2 more MFs, which I highly doubt. Likely Partey and a new partner backed up by Lokonga and Elneny?

That'd be a pretty shitty scenario.

Sounds like a good use of funds to me. 

Sounds like a weak squad to me.

We don't need a Toreira replacement now that we are out of Europe. We need to move Xhaka Douzi ElNeny Toreira AMN and aim higher than Lokonga.

Qs, if you have Partey, Locatelli, Lokonga, and Elneny, it works well. If Partey and Locatelli start around 60% of the games together and then you divide the other games so that one of the senior players is usually there with a junior player, then you end up with about 2500 league minutes for each of Partey and Locatelli and about 900 minutes for the subs. Saka had about 2500 minutes this season.

Partey, Locatelli, Willock and Lokonga sounds perfect though.

It's not weak but there's just no need for Elneny there as 4th/5th choice imo, especially without Europe. All that will happen is he'll get mins in cups that should go to our most promising breakthrough midfielder like Azeez or Patino.

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

Partey, Locatelli, Willock and Lokonga sounds perfect though.

That could work as well. I was working under the assumption that Willock is an AM

seems this will get done pretty soon. anyone's guess how this will turn out

Clrnc wrote:

Qwiss! wrote:

Sounds like a weak squad to me.

Really?

Say Partey, Locatelli, Lokonga, Elneny/Willock. Thats pretty decent 4 to choose from with Azeez and co waiting behind

Locatelli isn't an Arsenal player though and probably will never be one. He doesn't even look like being a serious target for us. Plus Willock wasn't in the original 4 that I said looked poor. If you have Willock and Logonga there is no need to keep Elneny, he can't even cover the African Nations.

Claudius wrote:

Qs, if you have Partey, Locatelli, Lokonga, and Elneny, it works well. If Partey and Locatelli start around 60% of the games together and then you divide the other games so that one of the senior players is usually there with a junior player, then you end up with about 2500 league minutes for each of Partey and Locatelli and about 900 minutes for the subs. Saka had about 2500 minutes this season.

Locatelli is just you lads fantasising, there is no indication he's coming to Arsenal. We're much more likely to get Neves or someone similar. Partey, Neves, Lokonga, and Elneny is a midfield thats at best very slightly better than the midfield we had this season. Even if Lokonga is the real deal he's probably gonna need time to develop and adjust to the PL. You are also looking at Neves -Lokonga midfield with no proper back up for the AFCON.

If you're saying it's a shitty scenario if the starter we bring in for CM is shitty then I don't think anyone would disagree.

We need to get that first choice CM signing right, it's a little worrying that a vague link to Locatelli is the best we've gotten so far.

Broadly agree with the sentiment here but does having Willock back change anything in people's minds? Or is there an assumption that he's probably gone?

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

If you're saying it's a shitty scenario if the starter we bring in for CM is shitty then I don't think anyone would disagree.

The Locatelli argument is based off the reverse and far less likely to happen.

'Closing in FC'

Qwiss! wrote:

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

If you're saying it's a shitty scenario if the starter we bring in for CM is shitty then I don't think anyone would disagree.

The Locatelli argument is based off the reverse and far less likely to happen.

Yeah but Claude's initial argument was that it would be a decent solution if we got a partner for Partey. I just assumed he didn't mean a shitty one when he said that.

Is Neves "shitty"? I think he's ok, overpriced and not my choice but likely and wouldn't be a disaster with decent back ups.

I probably mostly see him as shitty because it'd mean that after all these years we replaced Xhaka with a new Xhaka.

He's a very good player to my mind. Right profile too: already has Premier League experience and isn't surrounded by too much hype because Wolves have had a bad 18 months.

Getting Neves would be a bit like signing Jorginho last summer when Lampard tried to push him away. I thought it was a big miss at the time and I still do. These guys are 2-3 times the players Xhaka has ever been. There's a valid discussion to be had about whether we should replace Xhaka with a better player at all or if we should replace the position he plays, but the improvement that Neves would bring is tangible and it will show on the pitch. He has a brain and two good feet for starters.

That sounds like the Neves I imagined a couple of years ago, but don't think he's improved one bit since then.

I think Arsenal fans have just been scarred by Xhaka so anyone that even semi resembles him stylistically is not looked upon positively and a bigger change is desired.

Like I said Partey, Neves, Lokonga, Elneny is a horrible midfield. Its pretty much as bad as last seasons even if Neves is slightly better than Xhaka.

goon wrote:

I think Arsenal fans have just been scarred by Xhaka so anyone that even semi resembles him stylistically is not looked upon positively and a bigger change is desired.

Thats part of it but the hope in moving on Xhaka was that we would change the way we play somewhat. CM was the biggest problem area in the team last season and we kept hearing "well Arteta just doesn't have the players he wants to play the football he wants" getting a slightly better Xhaka type just means we want to keep playing like that. It seems like Arteta thinks we need to get a better CB to change the way we play rather than change much in midfield.

the issue with neves is that stylistically hes just not what we need. if we are playing a 4-2-3-1, we need a strong, dynamic defensive anchor to replace xhaka. neves is not that. if we are playing a 4-3-3, we need a faster, more athletic CM capable of pushing the pace, moving the ball, and doing a bit of everything and doing it quickly. i dont think neves is that player. neves is just a sideways move from xhaka. he might be 15% better, and him having PL experience is nice, but we need a lot more.

a fit partey, the partey who played for atletico, is the archetype we should be aiming for when trying to find our next CM.