Albert Sambi Lokonga
Sambi Lokonga with Arsenal in 2022
Personal information
Full name Albert-Mboyo Sambi Lokonga[1]
Date of birth (1999-10-22) 22 October 1999
Place of birth Verviers, Liège, Belgium
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Luton Town
(on loan from Arsenal)
Number 28
Youth career
2010–2017 Anderlecht
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2021 Anderlecht 69 (3)
2021– Arsenal 25 (0)
2023 → Crystal Palace (loan) 9 (0)
2023– → Luton Town (loan) 2 (0)
International career‡
2016 Belgium U17 1 (0)
2018 Belgium U19 1 (0)
2019–2020 Belgium U21 6 (2)
2021– Belgium 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:10, 26 June 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:55, 2 September 2021 (UTC)

Albert-Mboyo Sambi Lokonga (born 22 October 1999) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Luton Town, on loan from Arsenal,[2] and the Belgium national team. He came through Anderlecht's youth academy and made his senior debut with the club in 2017.

Club career

Anderlecht

Having first joined their youth academy in 2010,[3] Sambi Lokonga signed his first professional contract with Anderlecht on 10 November 2017.[4] He made his professional debut for Anderlecht in a 1–0 Belgian First Division A win over Eupen on 22 December 2017.[5] In November 2019, Sambi Lokonga extended his contract with the club until 2023. On 27 September 2020, he scored the first goal of his senior career as Anderlecht drew 1–1 with Eupen.[6]

Arsenal

On 19 July 2021, Sambi Lokonga signed a long-term contract with English club Arsenal after completing an approximately £17.2 million transfer, subject to the completion of regulatory processes.[7][8][9] Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was impressed with Sambi Lokonga, citing his intelligence and maturity for a young player.[9] Sambi Lokonga made his debut in a 2−0 away loss against Brentford.[10]

Loan to Crystal Palace

On 31 January 2023, fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace announced the signing of Sambi Lokonga on a short-term loan deal until the end of the 2022−23 season.[11] He made his debut for the club on 4 February, coming on as a substitute for Will Hughes in a 2–1 away loss to Manchester United.[12]

Loan to Luton Town

On 1 September 2023, Lokonga joined fellow Premier League club Luton Town on a season-long loan. [13] He made his debut for the club in 16 September, he played as a starter and played 74th minutes before being substitute by Pelly Ruddock in a 1-0 away loss to Fulham.[14]

International career

Having previously played for Belgium at Belgium U17, Belgium U19 and Belgium U21 levels,[15] Sambi Lokonga was called up to the senior Belgium squad in March 2021.[16] He made his debut on 2 September 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Estonia, a 5–2 away victory. He was introduced as a substitute for Eden Hazard in the 74th minute.[17]

Media

Sambi Lokonga was involved in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season.[18][19]

Personal life

Sambi Lokonga was born in Belgium and is of Congolese descent. His brother Paul-José M'Poku is also a professional footballer.[20] He grew up in Verviers.[3]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 April 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Anderlecht 2017–18[21] Belgian Pro League 7000—000070
2018–19[21] Belgian Pro League 6000—2[lower-alpha 1]0—80
2019–20[21] Belgian Pro League 23030———260
2020–21[21] Belgian Pro League 33340———373
Total 69370002000783
Arsenal 2021–22[22] Premier League 1901040——240
2022–23 Premier League 6020106[lower-alpha 1]0—150
Total 25030506000390
Crystal Palace (loan) 2022–23 Premier League 90————90
Career total 10331005080001263
  1. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 2 September 2021[23]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Belgium 202110
Total10

References

  1. ↑ "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  2. ↑ "Sambi Lokonga joins Luton Town on loan". Sambi Lokonga joins Luton Town on loan. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Albert Sambi Lokonga: "Je porte le 48 en hommage à Verviers"". vedia.be (in French). 1 December 2019.
  4. ↑ "Albert Sambi Lokonga verlengt zijn contract" (in Flemish). Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht. 10 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "Anderlecht boekt glansloze overwinning dankzij debuterende Amuzu" (in Flemish). Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Albert Sambi Lokonga, un baptême du feu à l'arrière-goût amer pour le buteur d'un soir". RTBF Sport (in French). 28 September 2020.
  7. ↑ Smith, George (24 July 2021). "Albert Sambi Lokonga described as a 'quality baller' following Arsenal move". Football.London. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "Welcome Sambi! | Lokonga joins Arsenal". arsenal.com. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Arsenal sign Lokonga from Anderlecht". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  10. ↑ "Brentford beat Arsenal on opening day". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "Albert Sambi Lokonga joins Palace on loan". Crystal Palace FC. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  12. ↑ "Manchester United 2–1 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "Sambi Lokonga joins Luton Town on loan". Sambi Lokonga joins Luton Town on loan. 20 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  14. ↑ "Fulham 1 - 0 Luton Town". BBC. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  15. ↑ "Albert Sambi Lokonga". static.belgianfootball.be (in Dutch).
  16. ↑ "Lukaku in Belgium squad despite Inter Covid-19 issues". egypttoday.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  17. ↑ "Estonia v Belgium game report". FIFA. 2 September 2021.
  18. ↑ "Full 'All Or Nothing' trailer released". Arsenal F.C. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  19. ↑ All or Nothing: Arsenal | Official Full Trailer 🎬. Amazon Prime Video Sport. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022 – via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "Mpoku suit l'évolution de son petit frère: "Je lui souhaite de percer à Anderlecht"" (in French). 27 November 2017.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "A. Lokonga: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  22. ↑ "2021–22 Arsenal F.C. Statistics". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  23. ↑ "Albert Sambi Lokonga". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
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