Albert Sambi Lokonga

In this Congolese name, the surname is Sambi and the post-surname is Lokonga.
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 (age 25)
Place of birth Verviers, Liège, Belgium
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Sevilla
(on loan from Arsenal)
Number 12
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)
2023–2024 → Luton Town (loan) 17 (1)
2024– → Sevilla (loan) 1 (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 18:22, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

Albert-Mboyo Sambi Lokonga (born 22 October 1999) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club Sevilla, on loan from Arsenal.[2] 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] During his first season at Arsenal he featured in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which followed the club's progress during their campaign.[11]

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.[12] 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.[13]

Loan to Luton Town

On the final day of the Summer transfer window, Sambi Lokonga joined newly promoted Premier League side Luton Town on a season-long loan.[14][15] He made his debut for the club on 16 September in a 1–0 loss against Fulham at Craven Cottage; he started the match and played 75 minutes before being substituted.[16] In his second game he picked up a hamstring injury and did not play for three months. Upon returning, he became a regular in the side's midfield; club manager Rob Edwards regularly praised Sambi Lokonga for his stand-out performances in a struggling team.[11] Although the club was eventually relegated to the Championship, his loan at Luton Town was largely seen as successful.[17][18]

Loan to Sevilla

On 15 July 2024, Sambi Lokonga joined La Liga side Sevilla on a season-long loan deal.[19]

International career

Having previously played for Belgium at Belgium U17, Belgium U19 and Belgium U21 levels,[20] Sambi Lokonga was called up to the senior Belgium squad in March 2021.[21] 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.[22]

Personal life

Sambi Lokonga was born in Verviers, Belgium and is of Congolese descent; his brother Paul-José M'Poku is also a professional footballer.[23] He can speak several languages at different standards, these include English, French, Spanish, Dutch and Ngala.[24]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 May 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Anderlecht 2017–18[25] Belgian Pro League 7 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 7 0
2018–19[26] Belgian Pro League 6 0 0 0 — 2[a] 0 — 8 0
2019–20[27] Belgian Pro League 23 0 3 0 — — — 26 0
2020–21[27] Belgian Pro League 33 3 4 0 — — — 37 3
Total 69 3 7 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 78 3
Arsenal 2021–22[28] Premier League 19 0 1 0 4 0 — — 24 0
2022–23[29] Premier League 6 0 2 0 1 0 6[a] 0 — 15 0
Total 25 0 3 0 5 0 6 0 0 0 39 0
Crystal Palace (loan) 2022–23[29] Premier League 9 0 — — — — 9 0
Luton Town (loan) 2023–24[30] Premier League 17 1 2 0 0 0 — — 19 1
Sevilla (loan) 2024–25 La Liga 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career total 120 4 12 0 5 0 8 0 0 0 145 4
  1. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 2 September 2021[31]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Belgium 2021 1 0
Total 1 0

References

  1. ^ "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Sambi Lokonga joins Sevilla on season-long loan". Sambi Lokonga joins Sevilla on season-long loan. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  3. ^ "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b O'Neill, Caoimhe (21 February 2024). "Albert Sambi Lokonga's love for Luton and Ross Barkley – but not that Arsenal documentary clip". The Athletic. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Albert Sambi Lokonga joins Palace on loan". Crystal Palace FC. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Manchester United 2–1 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Albert Sambi Lokonga transfer news: Midfielder joins Luton on loan from Arsenal". BBC Sport. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Sambi Lokonga joins Luton Town on loan". Sambi Lokonga joins Luton Town on loan. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  16. ^ Simmonds, Mike (20 September 2023). "Lokonga didn't think Luton were too far away from a first Premier League victory at Fulham". Luton Today. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Luton relegated after defeat to Fulham". Premier League. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  18. ^ Collings, Simon (3 April 2024). "Bright future awaits Arsenal outcast Albert Sambi Lokonga as relegation battle gamble pays off". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Sambi Lokonga joins Sevilla on season-long loan". Sambi Lokonga joins Sevilla on season-long loan. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Albert Sambi Lokonga". static.belgianfootball.be (in Dutch).
  21. ^ "Lukaku in Belgium squad despite Inter Covid-19 issues". egypttoday.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Estonia v Belgium game report". FIFA. 2 September 2021.
  23. ^ "Mpoku suit l'évolution de son petit frère: "Je lui souhaite de percer à Anderlecht"" (in French). 27 November 2017.
  24. ^ "Get to know Albert Sambi Lokonga | Fill In The Blanks". Arsenal F.C. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2024 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ "Games played by Albert Sambi Lokonga in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  26. ^ "Games played by Albert Sambi Lokonga in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Albert Lokonga club matches". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  28. ^ "Games played by Albert Sambi Lokonga in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  29. ^ a b "Games played by Albert Sambi Lokonga in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  30. ^ "Games played by Albert Sambi Lokonga in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  31. ^ "Albert Sambi Lokonga". eu-football.info. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
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