Albert Sambi Lokonga Wages & Contract
| Year | Club | Weekly Salary | Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | Arsenal | £52,000 | £2,704,000 |
| 2021/22 | Arsenal | £52,000 | £2,704,000 |
Albert Sambi Lokonga plays for Arsenal football club as well as the Belgium national team. Lokonga was born in Brussels to parents Desiré and Joseé. He grew up playing football with his older brother Paul-Jose M’Poku who would also become a professional footballer. His brother joined the North London side, Tottenham Hotspur’s academy, in 2008.
Two years later, in 2010, Lokonga joined Anderlecht's youth academy where he would develop as a centre midfielder. Lokonga became one of the club’s best players in the academy. Given his ability, it was little surprise that in 2017, he was offered his first professional contract with the club.
Lokonga signed with the club and made his debut for the first team just one month later. Playing in the senior team would provide the opportunity for him to get noticed by clubs around the world. Lokonga had interest from multiple clubs around Europe, but Arsenal managed to secure his signature in 2021 for a fee of ~£17 million.
Mikel Arteta is trying to build an Arsenal side with young players who are going to develop during their time at the club. The Lokonga signing embodies this vision, a young midfielder with the potential to become a top player. He had already impressed during his time at Anderlecht, showing the ability to control the game in midfield and play passes that split lines of defense.
Lokonga made his club debut on 13th August 2021. Since then, Lokonga has found himself mostly playing as a substitute. He has had limited opportunities to show his talents and has at times grown frustrated with the lack of minutes he has been able to play. When he was asked in an interview how he deals with the lack of game time, he responded, “Honestly, it’s difficult.”
Arteta will now look to build on the positives he has seen from Lokonga to help him reach his full potential as an Arsenal player.
Lokonga is well known to his country’s national team, having played for the Belgium U17s, U19s and U21s. He received the call-up for the first team in 2021 where he made his debut against Estonia in a World Cup qualification match.
