Arsenal already have a player who’s the perfect Rice & Jorginho hybrid

During the January transfer window there were rather relentless cries from supporters and pundits alike that Arsenal needed to sign a striker.

A fair enough assessment. The Gunners had embarked on a run over the New Year period in which they lost three straight Premier League games, scoring just once in the process. Their top scorer hadn’t even surpassed double figures at this point.

However, they have responded to those claims in devastating fashion. A striker they did not sign, instead making use of the players already at their disposal. It was a gamble but one that in February has more than paid off.

Mikel Arteta’s side have won six league games on the spin and scored 25 goals in the process. Who needs a striker? Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz have done a sterling job as a false 9, scoring six goals as a collective since the 5-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Both of those players have also flirted with a midfield role in the past few weeks, but that left-sided 8 position vacated by Granit Xhaka still feels as though it needs another body. It perhaps explains recent links to Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz.

Arsenal’s chase for a new midfielder

Back in 2022, the Gunners lodged three separate attempts to lure Luiz to the Emirates Stadium but their bids were fruitless. The Brazilian stayed in the Midlands, signed a new contract and has now become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. Typical, eh?

Now thought to be valued at around £100m, Arsenal are appealed by the idea of signing the Villans star again come the summer. Their interest has remained over the last few years but with a mega-money striker likely to be at the top of the club’s agenda, such a move for Luiz feels unlikely.

It will only become all the more impossible should Unai Emery’s side secure Champions League football too. Sitting in fourth at the moment, it’s a distinct possibility for the Midlands side.

So, what is the solution? Well, a surprise could be in store next season if Arsenal decide to reintegrate a player out on loan.

Arsenal’s ready-made midfield solution

Remember Albert Sambi Lokonga? You probably do. He’s that rather scrawny-looking midfielder, known for a mistake and perhaps a questionable attitude.

After signing from Anderlecht he was largely tasked with filling in for Partey as a lone pivot in the centre of the pitch. It was a role he underwhelmed in. The Belgian looked so far out of his depth and wasn’t painted in the best of lights during the club’s All or Nothing documentary for Amazon Prime (footage below).

However, all of those initial thoughts must be eradicated from our minds. Lokonga is no longer the scrawny and questionable midfielder we once thought.

Indeed, he’s now making waves during a loan spell with Luton Town. The 24-year-old looks every bit a Premier League player and has starred for Rob Edwards’ side, notably making a remarkable block to save a certain goal during the club’s recent clash with Manchester United.

His stock has risen considerably whilst with the Hatters and even if Arteta doesn’t bring him back into the fold they would surely generate a tasty amount of profit from the midfielder. Think Folarin Balogun who was sold for £35m last summer after shining during a temporary spell away from the Emirates Stadium.

So eye-catching have Lokonga’s displays been that he’s even caught the attention of Jurgen Klopp who found it hard to believe Arsenal had loaned him out.

Speaking before Liverpool beat Luton last week, the German said: “When you see Albert Sambi-Lokonga playing and you think… oh! He’s an Arsenal player and they loaned him? Interesting.”

What is also interesting to note are the player’s similarities to both Jorginho and Declan Rice. Indeed, as per FBref’s player comparison model, the Arsenal midfielders are the fifth and eighth most similar players to Lokonga in the Premier League. But, what are the similarities?

While Lokonga doesn’t come out on top in any of the stats above you can see where the similarities lie. Essentially, he is a hybrid of both Rice and Jorginho. He boasts the same progressive nature as the former and when it comes to tackles is just as active.

That said, like Jorginho, he is far less likely to create goal-scoring opportunities, perhaps preferring a more cautious and safer approach with his passing. That isn’t a bad thing but if he is to return to Arsenal and play as an 8, that side of his game will need to improve.

It’s pleasing to see Lokonga making such impressive strides away from Arsenal but whether he gets another opportunity to prove himself only time will tell. Either way, he could be a cost-effective way of forgetting about the aforementioned Luiz.