Despite his outstanding loan stint at Luton Town this season, Arsenal analyst Charles Watts isn’t sure Albert Sambi Lokonga will return to battle for his spot at the Emirates Stadium. Over his loan, Lokonga, 24 years old, has made a lot of progress. This is especially in the Premier League where regular playing time has improved his game. Watts is still dubious about Lokonga’s future at Arsenal, however. Watts questioned Lokonga’s fit for a large club like Arsenal in an exclusive interview. He speculated that Lokonga may have thrived at Luton because of the less pressure there.

Although Watts recognised Lokonga’s skill, he questioned if Mikel Arteta’s team could accommodate him, particularly in light of Jorginho’s recent extension of his contract. Watts underlined Lokonga’s talent and blamed his difficulties on his early settling-in. He had a stage to display his skills at Luton without the close scrutiny of Arsenal. With reference to Lokonga’s future, Watts conjectured that Arsenal would try to sell him this summer or land another loan agreement. A permanent move to Luton is probably not possible given their relegation, but Lokonga’s exploits on loan may draw interest in the next transfer window.

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He said: “It’s just not quite worked for Lokonga since his move to Arsenal. It’s not that he didn’t get the opportunities to impress, because he did. Arteta gave him plenty of chances, he just wasn’t able to really take them. There was a lack of personality about him when he played.

You never really saw him take a game by the scruff of the neck. Whenever you watched him, you were never quite sure what sort of midfielder he was. He was neat and tidy, but that was about it. You need more about you to make it at a club like Arsenal, given what they are competing for and who they are up against.

But that doesn’t mean Lokonga is a bad player. He came to Arsenal very young and sometimes it takes players time to settle. A move to a club like Luton was just what was needed for him to start to show his best form. It allowed him to step out of the limelight a bit, play without the pressure and scrutiny that comes from playing for a club like Arsenal. And you could see by his performances that he found his confidence as the season progressed. He became a really popular player at Luton and started to catch the eye.

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In terms of his future, I think the most likely scenario is that Arsenal look to cash in on him this summer. If a good offer comes in, I’m sure they would accept it. If not, they will more than likely look for another loan.

I would say that Luton’s relegation rules out the possibility of him moving there on a permanent basis, but Arsenal will hope his performances while he was away will have generated a market for him ahead of the summer window. I just don’t see him coming back and forcing his way into Arteta’s plans, especially now Jorginho has signed his new contract.”