Sambi Lokonga: The bargain of the season! | OneFootball

At the end of the transfer window, Albert Sambi Lokonga moved from Arsenal FC to HSV. The surprising signing turned out to be a stroke of luck.

The central midfielder stands out when considering value for money. The 18 clubs invested a total of 875 million euros in new signings. Players such as Luis Díaz (€70m/FC Bayern Munich), Jarell Quansah (€35m/Bayer Leverkusen), Malik Tillman (also €35m/Leverkusen), or Jobe Bellingham (€30.5m/Borussia Dortmund) joined the league. Some impressed across the board. Others still needed some time to adapt to the demands of the Bundesliga.

Eintracht Frankfurt, in turn, spent over 40 million euros combined on Jonathan Burkhardt and Ritsu Doan from direct competitors – with success. HSV was far removed from these dimensions, not even spending ten million euros in transfer fees for a dozen new players. Only 300,000 euros went to Arsenal FC to acquire Lokonga, who was no longer in their plans. For comparison: backup goalkeeper Matheo Raab moved to Union Berlin in the same transfer window for a sum of 400,000 euros.

Lokonga a Fixture After Starting XI Debut

On deadline day, Lokonga arrived as a package deal with Fábio Vieira, who was also under contract with Arsenal but was initially only loaned out. The latter had moved from Porto to the Gunners in 2022 for 35 million euros and had already played 25 international matches for Portugal’s senior national team. Given his widely recognized outstanding footballing abilities, Vieira was seen as a beacon of hope for HSV, who at that time were considered very limited.

Lokonga was in the playmaker’s shadow. At first, he had to sit on the bench due to a lack of fitness. Coach Merlin Polzin eased the Belgian, whose star rose at RSC Anderlecht under Vincent Kompany, into the starting eleven through short appearances. His moment came when Vieira saw red in Berlin. Lokonga stepped in for the home match against Mainz (4:0), immediately scored the opening goal, and from then on became indispensable in the starting lineup.

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Together with Nicolai Remberg, the 26-year-old forms the midfield core. Polzin only split up the duo twice. In Cologne, he moved Remberg to central defense to let Lokonga play alongside Vieira. An experiment that failed due to a lack of defensive stability. In Hoffenheim, the coach had no other choice, as Remberg was suspended due to yellow cards. The energetic and strong-tackling new signing from Kiel is the ideal partner for Lokonga, who also possesses physical robustness and additionally pushes HSV forward in terms of play.

Career-High in Season Goals

He completed 88 percent of his passes, won 55 percent of his duels, and was involved in eleven created scoring chances in twelve appearances. In addition, after previous loan spells at Luton and Sevilla that were also plagued by injuries, Lokonga has already reached a career-high with four goals. “He said in the summer that he really wanted to become more dangerous in front of goal. He’s achieved that very impressively since the start of the season,” praised Coach Polzin after the Frankfurt match.

There, he benefited from a catastrophic misplaced pass by SGE defender Nnamdi Collins. Still, it was by no means a given to slot the ball low and hard into the near corner from a half-left position. His technical skills and immense composure on the ball were also evident in the equalizer against Werder Bremen. While other players might have finished hastily, Lokonga shifted the ball from his right to his left foot, left his opponent behind, and scored unstoppably past goalkeeper Mio Backhaus.

Photo: Getty Images

The strong performance left an impression. “I didn’t know you could still get something in the Bundesliga for 300,000 euros,” said DAZN expert Nils Petersen during the live broadcast of the northern derby. In fact, those responsible, including sporting director Stefan Kuntz and sporting director Claus Costa, pulled off a steal with the permanent signing in such a competitive transfer market. After all, Lokonga would have been affordable for almost all Bundesliga clubs.

Undoubtedly, he would have immediately helped many of Hamburg’s rivals as well. “Sambi manages to read and feel a game, to dictate the rhythm,” said Polzin. He has taken HSV to a new level and has played a decisive role in ensuring that the promoted side does not have to hide from the competition, which has been active in the Bundesliga for much longer, even in terms of play.

Lokonga Fits Perfectly into HSV’s Strategy

His name is sure to appear again on the scouting lists of bigger clubs. So, if his strong performances continue, the Hanseatic club may soon have to worry about losing their key player, despite a contract running until 2028. If it comes to that, at least a hefty transfer profit beckons, which has been rare in recent years when players have left.

The Lokonga case doubly represents Hamburg’s transfer strategy, which after promotion also aimed to attract highly talented players who had hit a career snag. These players were given the chance to regain their former strength. In the long term, the goal is also to have players with a high resale value in the squad. With Lokonga, HSV hit the jackpot on both counts at an almost outrageously low price.

Photo: Getty Images

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.