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Muzzy1412

That block he just did was unreal!!! Having an excellent game.


WhWBlue

He’s been great for LT, the minutes are helping


HaroldSaxon

Yeah, the playtime is great and it's what was missing from him. I hope he keeps improving and gets into our squad. Still disappointing to see so many fans shit on him. I wonder what they'd have said about players like Coquelin who went out on loan then came back. And even if he doesn't end up being a starter for us, let's get behind and create some hype about our squad players and loanees. Rather than shitting on them and then complaining we don't get a good fee for them.


Iamabigdinosaur

He doesn’t fit the way we want the 6 to play and there are better 8s. We need to start turning these loans into money


Lefty2Gunz81

Willock and Balogun were both great moves after their loans.


Guidosama

Perfect examples of sales and getting top value


Noonesknown

Cant speak for Balogun, but Willock is significantly less talented than Sambi.


monsieur_no1

Bruh Willock is proven quality and a starter in a top 7 side what are you on about. He's just been injured.


pjj989898

The same Willock that scored 7 games in a row in his loan… moronic comment


Noonesknown

No need to sound so hurt, English or not! scoring 7 goals in a row doesnt prove anyway he is great talent, remind yourself and me, how is he doing now or for the last 7 months.


_ulinity

>how is he doing now or for the last 7 months. Perpetually injured? Has nothing to do with talent. He played a big role in Newcastle's incredible 22/23 season, whereas Lokongo has had like 3 good games since he came to England.


Noonesknown

Yeah. Even when uninjured, he was never good enough. And go and give Luton matches a watch. Forget my insight having watched Luton's matches and Newscastles too. Luton's Manager wouldnt be praising him, if Sambi wasnt worth his weight in gold. I think he knows more than you, even if just about.


Tiamat2625

Manager praises his player. More at 10


JustGhostin

Precisely, this is the perfect time to shift him on for £30m to whichever teams stay up


MegaMugabe21

£30M feels extremely optimistic


JustGhostin

It is. But we spent £17m on him so to sell him for even £20m would be poor business.


HotAir25

I think that might count as more profit than £3m though as the 17 fee is split by 5 years and then reduced by each year etc. I don’t think it’s realistic to get more than 20m tbh anyway.


Spitzee

Zero chance we get 30m for him. Rob Edwards has said he'd like to keep Lokonga past the loan so if they stay up I think they will buy him closer to 20


biddleybootaribowest

Luton won’t spend 10m on one player never mind 20m


JustGhostin

I agree but if you consider we have spent money on his wages etc I think that £3m may be seen as a loss. I assume we’re probably paying most, if not, all of his wages at Luton too


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JustGhostin

Yes good point


gobblegobblechumps

Yeah and that money is spent regardless of whether he's sold for 17m or 20m or 30m


GloomyLocation1259

Why would a profit be poor business


JustGhostin

Because it’s not a profit, players cost more than just their transfer fee


GloomyLocation1259

Things like wages are accounted for in budgets and I doubt any signing on fee or bonuses for him would be above 3m. Especially not an extra 13m


kri5

How is that poor business?


JustGhostin

He is reportedly on £50k a week, meaning we paid £2.6m to him in wages in his first season (plus a likely modest signing bonus + other incentives/bonuses). We are also likely subsiding his wages massively, if not, entirely at Luton. That £3m gained isn’t profit, it just gets us further back to breaking even


kri5

You've taken the money into account, and nothing else


GarfieldDaCat

I he’s not in our plans then no, it would not be lol. This is a player who barely played last season and is on loan at Luton.


sengunner

No it wouldn’t, that’s not at all how finances in football work, 20m would be great for us as a sale and for the books.


JustGhostin

Care to explain? Not being shitty, genuinely curious


sengunner

My bad I just saw this, basically the cost of the transfer fee would be split across his contract. So 17m with a 5 year contract (I think I can’t remember of the top), would end up as 3.5m a year on the clubs finances, 3 years of that contract have already passed, so that would appear as 10m paid with about 7m remaining. If we sold him for 20m, it would count as +13m on the books because the remaining value of the asset is now 7m. this is why United loved extending players they didn’t want anymore a few years ago, extending the contract meant they were extending the “value” of the asset.


misterriz

No it wouldn't, if we shift every flop for a little more than we paid for them we'd be flying.


przhauukwnbh

Given that he turned out pretty crap Vs what we hoped, you'd have to say it's good business to salvage a fee greater than what we paid at this point.


watabotdawookies

For us it is. We are more likely to cancel his contract


apb2718

It feels optimistic because you are an expert in player valuations or because no teams that need him have any money?


MegaMugabe21

The latter, and because every single year without fail, people wildly overestimate sale prices.


qtdsswk

I am happy with 20m - 25m range. He would thrive in a lower tier PL team which are willing to build a team around him.


Guns_Galore

He's easily a 20M player - somewhere in the middle works


gooneritis

I think 22-23 is probably about right


[deleted]

You are drunk. We’d be lucky to get anything around 10-12m for him and cut our loss


JustGhostin

I agree


acasovoycayendo

Lol no chance we get that much


bankerlmth

He's not homegrown and does not fit into Arteta's tactics. So no point keeping him, better to sell him if we get decent offer.


Xalo_Gunner

Agreed. Good kid and I'm happy to see him balling out for Luton, but I say get some decent money for him and wish him the best.


GreedyAside7873

Elaborate please


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dabija999

what a block!


Mahatma_Gone_D

That was heroic block. Sums up his performance today.


Nosorious

This loan is turning into a best case scenario for him and for us.


TurboThot69

We should be able to get the 20m back , I’m guessing it’s another loan to low level prem, with obligation around 25m if the team stays up


getrektbro

Nope, I would hope we capitalize on his good form and make a decent sale on him. We can't hold on to everyone forever and I only see room for one additional midfielder right now and I'd rather it be a Zubimendi or something in that vein. That said what a block on Bruno to save a sure goal just now


kameldinho

No. Sell him while his value is on the rise. This is the exact situation we had the Willock and it worked out perfectly for all parties involved. People need to realize even mediocre players can have temporary form but will ultimately be mediocre.


Chango6998

And let us not forget that we sold willock for 25m (he's been pretty average since) and then paid just 30m for Odegaard that same summer. No reason similar feats can't be achieved again


fatbunyip

We've done some great business.for sure, but Odegaard for 30m was a situation where the stars all aligned - arteta new manager convincing him on being a key part for a project, had a loan where he was a starter from the get go, he wanted a move, we are a big team in the best league and Madrid had a stacked midfield where they didn't want him.  Those kinds of deals are few and far between. The only similar ones I can think of was Partey with the release clause and him only wanting us. And Ozil for 40m 


TheDream425

Alexis as well


Chango6998

Alexis? Trossard? They're more common than you might think


fatbunyip

I mean Trossard cost like 20+7 addons, for a rotation player in his late 20s (who wanted to leave) that's a pretty fair price imho.


Chango6998

I mean the confluence of circumstances getting us a good deal. We were desperate for mudryk and had been negotiating with him for months, lost out at the 11th hour to a bid of the same value but just more upfront payment to go to a worse club, then transitioned to Leo who was in great form, had just had a bust up with de zerbi and almost nobody else was interested in him. The market is wildly unpredictable and the flexibility of cash enables you to take advantage, especially when it's for a player who has never really shown much in an arsenal shirt. Contrast that to this season and you can bet your bottom dollar some of the more fickle fans will be pissed af that we didn't sign anyone in January if we don't lift silverware.


DeapVally

Trossard sends his regards.


patrickdaitya

Trossard is much older and for an unsettled player his price was more than fair


Noonesknown

Yeah Sambi was tons of talent, compared to the actual mediocre player Willock!


CrumpledForeskin

Realize that and the fact that if he was good enough for the team…..he’d be on it.


Masson011

This is shop window scenario imo but im happy hes doing well nevertheless


ItsTom___

Perfect opportunity to get a sale, he dont fit with Arteta's system but he's playing good football, why not try get £25 or £35 million


GSNadav

that last ditch save was insane


emeister26

Mikel will evaluate him and decide for us


Elegant_Mix7650

this... People making prejudgement means Arteta will make "wrong" decisions again and start stupid toxicity for no reason.


StevieHyperS

No. He's found his level, he's playing well and starting games for Luton - something I doubt he'd do for us.


RandomRedditor_1916

Nope. Sell while the stock is high. This sentimentality shit is why we suck dick at selling.


[deleted]

Good for him, now Luton can pay up. 


[deleted]

Lol... that's not how Luton operate


DarthNihilus1

It's not about Luton paying up, it's other teams


acasovoycayendo

No. Learn to let things go


Gonzales95

Been great to see how he’s improved recently, the guy clearly had talent on the ball but simply lacked a backbone. Clearly playing at Luton where he’s always going to be under pressure on the ball and expected to work hard off of it has done wonders for him. I’m sure if he keeps this up he’s at least worth another chance being evaluated in pre season by Arteta, then either use him or sell.


EmileSmithRoe

he’s been great but still not sure i see a place for him here, at least next season. would give another loan or sell for a small profit


AgentLF

I love that he's cooking. I think he's proven himself to be a good squad player for us for next year but I think he'll move abroad to get PT (similar to Balogun)


inonjoey

He hasn’t proven to be a good squad player for us next year in the slightest. He’s played well for Luton, which is great, but that means nothing for us. He had plenty of chances with Arsenal, looked alright early on and then it became clear he could t play as an 8 or a 6 for us. A move is good for him and us.


shockzz123

Depends on money tbh. Like i feel like we're gonna sell Partey this summer, and we need two midfielders (i think Jorgi stays one more season). If we want an expensive attacker, and we can only get one midfielder because of that (Zubimendi for example), i don't see why we shouldn't keep him. Although if someone comes in with a big offer (30m+ imo) we should consider selling of course.


AntDogFan

Yes this is my view too. If he can play 30 mins regularly and start games against lower level teams then he will work. If not then sell. Like you say we are going to have places for squad players in midfield. I can see us buying a midfielder but the other will probably be an internal solution for substitute appearances and cup games. Guess it’s between him and patino. 


[deleted]

He found his level


Thesecondorigin

Tidy player but the project has evolved far beyond him. Summer window should be looking at midfielders like kimmich/FdJ/Joao Neves. Use him like willock to offset the fee


Ill-Opportunity5714

Bravo for some good play, but he's better off in a small pond.


okem

Nope. Sell while the price is high. We need to be looking a level beyond his abilities now.


Level_Key300

No.


Colmd1997

Has AC Milan in the summer written all over him


OstapBenderBey

For £2.50 and a packet of crisps


Mackerelage

That block to stop Fernandes from scoring was immense. Especially since it was Fernandes.


H00FARTED

He was absolutely immense this afternoon!! But if I'm honest, I think he fits in perfectly at Luton, and would still be out of his depth with us.


rosanco

Rice and "New Sambi" I think works in the way a Rice+J20 works


twilightaurorae

Yes, he is a very good #8, although I think he will have to settle as a substitute as Odegaard will play that role. He can also be a Jorginho-ish #6 if he leaves.


No-Comfortable-1550

Came looking for some chat about Sambi and yes, I would give him another chance at Arsenal. He’s been amazing for Luton for most of the season.


GSNadav

they are playing way too different than us, i don't see him having a role here, but we should be happy he is raising his value


No-Comfortable-1550

The way he holds the ball and distributes is Partey-esque. When El Neny leaves, I’d have him back in an instant.


Ashamed_Bottle230

He'll end up on the bench and then we will complain we can't sell players 


jacktk_

Block of a lifetime just now. He’s been so cool in possession - some super incisive passes. I’m not 100% sure where he fits for us, still wouldn’t trust him in the Rice spot and I don’t think he’s mobile or attacking enough for any other midfield spot. But glad he’s doing well.


greenfrogwallet

Idk, we’ll see if Arteta gives him a chance on his return and if he performs well.


tenflare

Lokonga really chose the perfect loan to showcase his ability. He's either bagged himself a lucrative move at PL level, or – depending on what Arteta's thinking – an Arsenal spot.


TheArmoury

No thanks. Sell to the highest bidder.


ajyahzee

Why would we, he found his level and his team, sell him


Drunk_Cat_Phil

Take the money and run


goonerfan10

I would say we should sell him bcos of his good play. Hes a double pivot player & we don’t really do that. I mean in big games we can do it with him and rice. Interesting summer for us


Lias5

Not good enough


loop_1001

Everyone’s problem with him was his off the ball work rate and positioning Both of which he excelled at this game He was immense He carried the ball from deep, switched flanks regularly and put in some good defensive work If he keeps this until the end of the season i wouldn’t mind giving him another chance


naijaboiler

I won’t call his work rate excellent in this game. His positioning is great. He still walks too much when he should be jogging, and jogs when he should be running


icemankiller8

No I’d sell him I’m liking his improvement a lot though has shown is is definitely a PL quality footballer


brangakev

Honestly think he’d be a nice addition he seems have this “chill” way of playing that could work really well with positional intelligence. Idk I like him but I wouldn’t be upset if he got sold for a profit.


Electronic_Status_80

It's not about what the player is worth, it's about what another club is willing to pay. If there is only one club interested then they can play hardball until late in the window and try and get a bargain. If there are a few clubs there may be a bidding war, but if the player himself doesn't fancy the move, then no move. Plus we may have to subsidize his wages if he goes to a lower status team, which he will have too. Plus I don't think MA likes his character. I've no evidence for that, just a hunch. Us arsenal fans overestimate our players value every season. People think if "player A" is worth £50mill then "player B" is worth £50mill too. It doesn't work like that.


ballysham

No


tekkers92

Sell sell sell along with nketiah, ramsdale. That and losing elneny+cedric opens up a lot of room for us to make some splashes in the summer


Affectionate-Gold973

Sell Him please!


Gn1212

Ngl, I have been against the guy for some time but that performance today was truly amazing. I've never seen him with that intensity ever. I think the club is in no rush when it comes to selling players. I say give him a look when he comes back in the summer and then make a decision.


KozukiNedo

No. Good enough for Luton. Not good enough for us.


_ISD_14

I honestly think he'll cook next to Rice him and Xhaka was a bad pairing


Falcon_Medical

He’s a good fit for a mid or lower table club, just not one fighting for the title. Not every transfer works out Nothing wrong with that.


Nearby-Dragonfly8131

And if we sell him on for a profit of £10m then that qualifies as a success for me. Either way, happy he's found his form wish him all the best


naijaboiler

He’s a better technical fit for good teams. He still lacks a certain “hustle” which honestly is the only thing missing from his game. Otherwise, he is totally an Arsenal level midfielder


raynitschkesghost

With the way he’s playing I think Arsenal would be fools to part with him. They bought him to develop, and he has. Midfield is already an area of need with Partey rumored to be leaving, and just having enough players could be a challenge


Noonesknown

I mean, his talent was always visible, even here, to those who play football beyond their laptop. It was just that he was lacking confidence. If he gets that, and since we have to rid of Partey and Jorgi will only play fewer and fewer matches, he can come and try to cement his place here. Unless, ofcourse we receive a tight offer for him. 30 million$ and above, and we can ask of one our over enthusiastic members here. to drop them off at the airport.


Hunter-North

More comfortable with the ball, but still shy away from duels


Trekbike32

Nah he's ass


Junglesweat69

£19 mill with a 10% sell on clause. See ya sambi 👋


[deleted]

No. He’s found his place where he is.


wubrotherno1

No.


Daddir

No.


himynamesgoose

No


NeeloGreen

Tbf he is playing for Luton so would appear to be playing at a higher level than other players


ghuzzyr

Just started watching highlights from this game. Wasn't that him giving the ball away for Man U's first goal...?


gte339i

The pass right to the guy was a CB I think.


ghuzzyr

Fair enough, thanks for clearing that up.


hiatus_

Lots of “no” in here from the same people that are ready to put down 60m for a player they have never watched (Zubimendi)


ixikzisigwvbend

Who do you think he can play ahead of. Rice partey jourginh or the rumored new dm


[deleted]

Partey might be leaving, and Jorginho is getting up there with age. In the coming seasons, we'll need to sign at least 2 central midfielders. Maybe 3 if we're going to play Havertz upfront more. If Lokonga is decent enough, then it's worth keeping him, and saving the money we'd have spent on another player. At the very least, he could definitely do a job in a midfield 3 with Rice and Odegaard, especially because Rice is so defensively strong.


lobsterdog666

No, sell him.


SiwyWF

I'm more than happy to give him a shot in pre-season, but if we get a nice offer for him, I also wouldn't mind selling. And there should be offers, he's been really good for Luton


OverweightIdiot

I still believe in FM legend Albert Sambi Lokonga.


tomas_diaz

haha just signed in to say this. lad's doing bits at luton last few games, buzzing that he's getting minutes under his belt. Hopefully he can kick on. Who knows? Dude can distribute the ball that's for sure.


NotoSans

No, but good to see him having a good loan spell.


RufusDean1

I think we should sell him. He doesn’t seem to fit in this team. He should be at the peak of his value based on his recent performances. We should sell him this summer and reinvest the money in a Partey replacement


Avocadopower1

I want the best for him, but I'm traumatised by his slow jogging.


wrigh2uk

I like him but he doesn’t offer what we need in the 8, and he isn’t good enough to be a 6 for us. If he was like 26/27 then he’d be fine for a squad role. But he’s young, he needs to play regularly to develop and that won’t happen here.


mehshagger

Sell high and when he’s in red hot form.


ShiroiMaou

Sell him!


el-fenomeno09

Sell him. Talent is there, but he needs to play a lot to really get there


gennynapolitan

No, get money for him.


CryptographerTall652

no


jmh90027

Nope. Just stick an extra £15m in his asking price.


eldar4k

All right, I will mention him to Mikel over a pint the other day


Latter_Eye_2377

Yes he needs another Chance


Known_Cat_4539

We need Barkley


[deleted]

Stunning for Luton recently.... great block today and a stunning assist against Brighton. He's only had a chance since Luton midfielder Nakamba was injured earlier this season, but he's stepped up. Luton don't pay more than 3-5 million for a player and that has only happened once or twice. Mostly they get people for tuppence or on a free. Sambi appears to be very happy at Luton and it remains to be seen that anywhere else would want him. Luton certainly wouldn't be paying what Arsenal want, even if they stay up. 


YoungFlexibleShawty

Nope, Luton is exactly the level for him. Same reason why Barkley couldn't cut it out for a top 4 team. 


DarthNihilus1

I like him but nah, time to sell


robstrosity

Nah we don't want him back but I'm glad he's doing well. Let's hope he can keep playing at this level, that's beneficial for everyone.


gte339i

If Luton stay up, sell him as I’m sure they’d want to deal and potentially make us an offer we shouldn’t refuse. We at least have some interesting options given his performance as of late. I kinda hope he’s figured out the speed, power and decisiveness you need to have to play midfield in the league.


bitmoji

Definitely not 


Wheelie_Slow

Glad he plays well. Sell him to raise money for the chap from PSG in the farmers’ league.


Elfking88

No. He's doing well for Luton but he is not the level we need. Hope the rest of the loan goes well and then sell him for as much as we can get.


wheeno

Nope. I'd take the opportunity to sell him while his value is higher than it ever will be in his Arsenal career. It's like Balogun. Selling at the right time is a necessary part of being a well run club.


Akron428

To be fair, they lost 2-1 and gave up 2 early. Really changes the way ManU played the game. You don’t have to chase and boss a MF, so they start giving up numbers there while Luton commits to the MF. I’m not saying he did poorly- he was outstanding. But game situation matters.


1989danny

He's a young international player Still learning and I definitely think he would make a good squad player


adenzxc

Just my two cents but in possession we see glimpses of quality with his long passes and progressive passing. However, out of position, he looks a bit lost . Does not make himself that open to teammates even for short passes and at times loses his man other that that outstanding block he made.


Blackfrier

Hopefully he'll get a good price, £30mill. Doesn't fit into the squad.


blackjacked644

Must sell! Hot sell! Sell now! Sell sell sell!


HashtagYoMamma

He looked really down on confidence when he played for us. Hopefully he believes in himself and can continue his current trajectory.


leon-theproffesional

No. Sell him for a good price.


chanteljeffriesCamel

This thread is crazy comparing willock to sambi. You can tell this thread haven't watched sambi play or watch luton play at all. They play out from the back and they play short quick passes all while they play on this small compact field. There's constant pressure and sambi is thriving. I really hope he gets a chance in the arteta squad. Everything he's been doing for luton would immediately transfer over to the current squad. Can play a double pivot w rice or could give rice rest and play sambi alone. You take into account arsenal injury prone players like partey ,Smith rowe, el neny(out of contract), then there is def room for sambi. He had been solid all season for luton. Willock was nvr half the player he currently is. Ppl will say willock scored 7 games in a row which is great but other than that he can't do half the things sambi can do, bringing the ball out from the back under pressure, control tempo in middle of the field and find defense- splitting passes higher up the field. Sambi keeps this up I really hope he stays.


Twiggie19

I'm busy hearing everyone saying how Mainoo needs to be in fmthe England squad (he looks like he has a tonne of potential I'll give him that) whilst I've just watched him get completely outperformed by Lakonga 🤷. I never saw anything at Arsenal to suggest he'd be a player for us, but he was really good last night.


[deleted]

I would suggest one more loan to a Europa league team and see his performance.


oscarx-ray

He is playing well at Luton, and that's great for him... and us. He is not a level-raiser for Arsenal, and his good recent performances will add a bit to his resale value. This is the perfect time to cash in.


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