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Arsenal’s plan for Moises Caicedo depends on Albert Sambi Lokonga – journalist
Arsenal tried long and hard to sign Moises Caicedo last month and the Ecuadorian still remains an option for the summer, but Albert Sambi Lokonga could cost him a move.
That’s according to journalist Rudy Galetti, who has claimed that the Brighton and Hove Albion man is still a target for the Gunners, but Mikel Arteta hasn’t given a thought about a summer transfer just yet.
Lokonga is the reason why.
Arsenal’s plan for Moises Caicedo depends on Albert Sambi Lokonga
Albert Sambi Lokonga was Arsenal’s backup central midfielder in the first half of the season.
The Belgian was often the first man in if either Granit Xhaka or Thomas Partey needed a break, and almost everyone expected him to stay at the club in January, especially after Mohamed Elneny had to undergo surgery on his knee.
However Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira came calling on transfer deadline day and to everyone’s surprise, Mikel Arteta allowed Lokonga to move to Selhurst Park on loan until the end of the season.
Now, Galetti has come out and claimed that the Arsenal boss wants to evaluate Lokonga’s performances in the coming months before thinking about making a move for Caicedo in the summer. That suggests that if the 23-year-old Belgian really explodes under Vieira, the Gunners may not go back in for the Brighton man.
The journalist told : “It’s an option; Arsenal strongly wanted Caicedo in the winter transfer session, but as we know, Brighton rejected two offers declaring him not for sale.
“In the summer, they could try again for Moises Caicedo, but Arteta wants to make a final decision only after evaluating the performance of Sambi Lokonga, who is now on loan at Crystal Palace.
“So it’s an option, but at the moment, nothing has been decided yet for Moises Caicedo in the summer”.
TBR View:
That is a smart way to look at things.
Lokonga is a ‘supremely gifted‘ player. He’s good on the ball, can drive into the opposition third with possession and has a good eye for a pass as well. However, he is a bit suspect defensively.
The Belgian’s positional awareness hasn’t been great this season. That’s one of the biggest things he needs to learn at Palace, and who better to learn from than one of the greatest midfielders to ever play that game – Vieira.
It will be interesting to see what will happen in the coming months, but if Lokonga really comes to life in the second half of the season, Arsenal won’t need to think about Caicedo anymore.
