Arsenal player delights Prem rivals by confirming he will push for summer exit after Arteta snub

Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga will have put one of the Gunners’ Premier League competitors on red alert after revealing he will ‘try’ to find a new club this summer.

Lokonga signed for Arsenal in July 2021 after impressing with Belgian club Anderlecht. Arsenal paid an initial £15million for him, though the deal also included a further £3m in potential add-ons.

Lokonga, who has represented the Belgian national team on one occasion, will have been hoping to force his way into the Arsenal starting lineup when arriving at the Emirates.

He managed 24 appearances during his debut season in England, with 13 of those outings lasting 90 minutes.

Lokonga failed to build on that in the first half of last season though as he struggled for regular playing time in the Premier League. Manager Mikel Arteta did not think he was experienced enough to make a big impact for Arsenal and this resulted in the 23-year-old heading to Crystal Palace on loan in January.

Lokonga went on to make a further nine appearances for Palace, but he did not exactly set Selhurst Park alight.

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Lokonga is now back in North London, but it is unlikely he will be playing for Arsenal next season. On May 19, Football Insider revealed Burnley had opened talks to sign Lokonga on loan. The Daily Mail confirmed that information on June 18.

The player himself has now revealed he will attempt to find a new club in the summer, which will make Burnley chiefs very happy indeed.

Arsenal player discusses potential move

During an interview with Wonhee Hyung on YouTube (via CaughtOffside), Lokonga said: “I don’t know [about my future], I will try to go somewhere I will play.

“That’s the most important thing, to have some games and play game after game.”

That is far more likely to happen at Burnley than Arsenal. Clarets boss Vincent Kompany is a big fan of him after they worked together at Anderlecht.

Burnley could sign Lokonga to help them try and remain in the Premier League. And if he performs well at Turf Moor then he could finally force his way into the Arsenal starting eleven the following season.

While Lokonga may leave Arsenal on loan, several players could depart on permanent deals. Once Declan Rice’s prospective move from West Ham goes through, then Granit Xhaka will sign for Bayer Leverkusen.

Striker Folarin Balogun is also likely to leave on a permanent basis as he does not want another loan, while TEAMtalk understands Arsenal have greenlighted Thomas Partey’s exit.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have reportedly made a ‘superb’ £77.3m midfielder a ‘top priority’ to partner Rice.