There will be a lot of pressure on Albert Sambi Lokonga for Arsenal in the final stretch of the season after the injury suffered to Thomas Partey. The Ghanaian damaged his thigh in the Gunners’ 3-0 defeat against Crystal on Monday evening, which will rule him out for the majority of the final weeks of the season.
However, it is not just Arsenal fans who will be having high expectations of him, but also former Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany. The current Anderlecht manager sang his praises for the Belgian midfielder towards the start of the season.
With this period being the most critical in Sambi Lokonga’s career, he has an excellent chance to prove why he received heaps of praise from Kompany. It will also give him the opportunity to stamp his marker on Mikel Arteta’s side ahead of next season.
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Kompany spoke about Sambi Lokonga’s potential to Rio Ferdinand's Vibe with Five YouTube channel. He said. "When I was still a player for City, I was coming to a point where I was thinking about my future. Management? Carry on? Sign a new deal?"
"I was watching football from different countries, different places. And I saw Sambi play his first game - his first two games - then he got an injury to his knee.
"But the first thing I did when I saw Sambi is I went to Mikel and said, 'You've got to watch this guy, he's the new Yaya Toure. Anyway, nothing comes of it.” He added.
“He's got a cruciate ligament and then I end up falling into the management job at Anderlecht, so I'm working with him now. And I had the same conversation about him with Mikel, I still believe the same thing now."
When challenged by Ferdinand on his Toure claim, Kompany joked: "I'm not sure I'll do him a favour by saying this kind of stuff. "What I like with Sambi - and it’s rare in football, what Yaya did have - is he wants the ball no matter what.
"If the teams not doing well, give the ball to Sambi. If the team's doing well, give the ball to Sambi. He will never hide away from his responsibility. He has things he has to improve... if he remembers the conversations we've had, he will know exactly what he still has to work on.”
The 22-year-old played 37 games in all competitions under Kompany at Anderlecht last season, earning a reported £18million move to the Emirates in July. Since then he has gone on to become a full Belgian international. He has also gone to play a crucial part in Arsenal’s push for a Champions League finish in the current campaign.
The youngster is a player who thrives when he has the confidence in his game, but that was unfortunately missing during his difficult spell after the turn of the new year. He is certainly a player with quality and his impressive cameo against Crystal Palace will hopefully boost his confidence for the final stretch of the season.
But he now has the perfect chance to show why Kompany compared him to Yaya Toure, and why Arteta has trusted in previous matches this season when replacing Partey in the side. The last few weeks could be a major stepping stone in Sambi Lokonga’s career.
