Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga would be an absolutely brilliant option for West Ham this summer.
Julen Lopetegui has a summer budget of just £90 million, so the West Ham boss has to be thrifty in his player recruitment.
The Hammers manager has to strengthen pretty much every area of his squad this summer, but central midfield is a department that everyone seems to be forgetting about.
West Ham cannot afford to head into the new campaign with Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse as the only two who can play alongside Edson Alvarez.
One thing we really do lack as a team is pace, power and natural athleticism in the middle of the park, and Lokonga could solve all of that in an instant.
The Hammers have been heavily linked with a move to sign Lokonga over the past year, but missed out on him last summer in the end.
He ended up joining Luton Town on loan in the end, and despite suffering with a few injuries, he really impressed on the whole.
Now a move to West Ham could be a real possibility for the Arsenal ace this summer, and Lopetegui has to get a deal done for him as soon as possible in my opinion.
West Ham signing Albert Sambi Lokonga a no-brainer
The Gunners are demanding just £13 million for the 24-year-old midfielder this summer, according to a report from ABC.
Signing Lokonga for that kind of money seems like an absolute no-brainer to me, and he would solve a lot of the issues we have in midfield right now.
Firstly, the former Anderlecht man has pace and power in abundance. However, he’s so much more than a central midfield enforcer.
He bagged one goal and three assists in 17 Premier League games for Luton Town last season. During those appearances, he averaged 1.7 tackles and 43.5 passes per game (Who Scored).
Lokonga made things tick for Luton from the middle of the park, and showcased his composure in possession as well as a wonderful array of passing.
However, it must be said, the main thing he’d bring to West Ham is his physical profile.
The most impressive feature of Lokonga’s game was the energy, dynamism and athleticism that he displayed when playing for the Hatters.
The Arsenal ace is the ideal man to play just ahead of Edson Alvarez at the London Stadium, and he could perform the box-to-box role for us.
If Lucas Paqueta remains at West Ham, a midfield three of the Brazilian, Mexican and the Belgian Arsenal ace would be the perfect mix and blend of skill, tenacity, aggression, physicality, energy and guile.
The big upgrade here for the Hammers is Lokonga coming into the side to replace Soucek. The 29-year-old does a job for the Hammers but he’s too laborious in possession to succeed in a Lopetegui side.
If Lokonga does end up swapping North London for East London, I fully expect Soucek’s time at the London Stadium to come to an end.
Our midfield would reach another level entirely if the Belgian slotted into the side in place of the Czech Republic international.
The opportunity for West Ham to sign Albert Sambi Lokonga from Arsenal for just £13 million seems like one that we cannot afford to miss out on this summer.
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