My brother was magnificent for Arsenal - Mikel Arteta just wasn't fair to him

Albert Sambi Lokonga’s brother has called out Mikel Arteta for treating the former Gunner "unfairly" during his spell at Arsenal. Arteta signed Lokonga in 2021 for £17.2m from Belgian side Anderlecht, with the midfielder making 24 appearances in his first full season.

However, he failed to register a single goal or assist. The same pattern followed in his second campaign, where, after another 15 games without a goal involvement, the now 26-year-old was loaned out to Crystal Palace.

That move marked the first of three loans for Lokonga, who later featured for Luton Town in their debut Premier League season and Sevilla last year. Now permanently with Hamburg in a deal worth just over £250k, Lokonga’s brother Paul-Jose M’Poku has criticised Arteta for how he handled the Belgian international.

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“When you look at his early days at Arsenal, he played some magnificent matches,” M’Poku told Walfoot. “He plays big games. It’s just that at a certain point, Mikel Arteta…

“That’s where I sometimes get angry with certain coaches. He wasn’t 100% fair to him. Otherwise, when you look at his performances everywhere he’s been, he’s been successful. But when you score, it makes more noise.”

M’Poku, also a professional footballer, came through Tottenham’s youth academy and was named in the squad for an FA Cup replay against Bolton in 2010, though he never made a senior appearance. The 33-year-old now plays for Saudi Arabian side Al-Batin FC.

Lokonga, meanwhile, is rebuilding his career in Germany. The midfielder has made a strong start at Hamburg, scoring in back-to-back matches and showing signs of confidence returning.

He featured in Arsenal’s pre-season squad this summer but failed to make it off the bench in any of the club’s warm-up fixtures.

Financially, the deal wasn’t a good one for Arsenal, with Arteta losing almost the entire £17.2m the club invested in Lokonga. But the Spaniard will likely be relieved to have drawn a line under a transfer that never quite worked out.