Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares have wasted no time in exploring the latest chapter of their football careers outside the shores of Arsenal. Lokonga arrived at Arsenal from Anderlecht with huge fanfare, as he was dubbed as the next best thing in Belgium, but he didn’t quite cut it in his debut campaign with Arsenal and has been on the road ever since.
Lokonga’s loan spell at Crystal Palace was underwhelming, then he tried at entire campaign with Luton Town which was riddled by injuries, but following their relegation from the Premier League, the Hatters returned Lokonga to Arsenal gift wrapped. On his return to Arsenal this summer, Lokonga was quite vocal about plans for his future,
“For me, I had a discussion with Arsenal and the conclusion was the best thing for me was to leave the club, so now it’s up to my agent and the club to find something. I still have a contract there, one year plus a one-year option so let’s see what happens.”
Edu Gaspar and his negotiation chums went to work and within a couple of weeks, Arsenal reached an agreement with Sevilla to sign Lokonga on a season-long loan with an option to make the deal permanent in the summer. It has reported the fee will be in the region of €12 million and that the Gunners have inserted a 25% sell-on clause, which is a very good deal for everyone concerned. Lokonga will hopefully get some consistent game time that will impress Sevilla enough to retain his services, and some day when they decide to cash in big on him, Arsenal will have some cool cash in their coffers.
Nuno Tavares, on the other hand, is not having an extended run out at Arsenal due to his footballing style of play, which wasn’t suited to what Mikel Arteta prefers in his team, as well as his defensive frailties that proved costly in important games. Tavares was clearly in his element when he moved to Olympique Marseille, playing as a left wing back under Igor Tudor, that favored a back three tactical setup. Tavares played as much as 39 games for the French outfit, scoring six goals. Sadly, Marseille didn’t retain his services and he came back to Arsenal deeply disappointed, knowing that his chances of featuring in his parent club were slim to none.
Then Nottingham Forest, another team that plays with a back three, came calling and I shared my thoughts on the move, touting that it was a good move for the player and Arsenal. Tavares time at Nottingham Forest was a dud and the English team chose not to activate the permanent clause in the deal. Following the start of this new campaign, Tavares was hoping to work hard in training to earn his place in the team, especially with the uncertainties at left back, but Arteta was having none of it, and he has been shipped out to SS Lazio on loan, which entails a deal that can make the move permanent if a certain number of appearances are met.
These are two departures that are hugely welcome because these are players that haven’t proven themselves useful to the ongoing project at Arsenal and it’s good to see Edu Gaspar and his chums make these departures. More on the transfer window in the coming weeks.
Sayonara.
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