Patrick Vieira has warned Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga he is not guaranteed a starting place in Crystal Palace’s midfield following his deadline day move to Crystal Palace.
The Belgium international joined the Gunners 18 months ago from Anderlecht in a £17million deal but has struggled to adapt to the demands of Premier League football.
Lokonga was heavily criticised for his performance in last Friday’s FA Cup defeat against Manchester City where he felt the wrath of captain Martin Odegaard and stormed down the tunnel after the final whistle without acknowledging the away support.
With Jorginho arriving at the Emirates Stadium earlier this week, Mikel Arteta sanctioned Lokonga’s departure and granted him the opportunity to work under an Arsenal midfield legend, but Vieira insists he won’t be handing out any favours.
He said: ‘I spoke with Edu, not with Mikel [Arteta],” said the Palace boss. Edu really gave me the picture about the player on the field and off the field.
‘We know what kind of player we’re taking and which side of the game he needs to improve. He is a player who will help us.
‘He was looking for a place where he could play, where he would have an opportunity to keep developing himself. Of course, coming to us, we have players in that position – nothing is guaranteed.
‘But he has the ability to help us to be more competitive. That is a challenge as well [breaking into the side] that, as a player, he wanted to take.
‘He won’t have any kind of guarantee because, in our world, there is no guarantee of being in the starting 11. To get involved, you have to show that you deserve to play.
‘We knew a lot about him when he was at Anderlecht as well – we had a couple of conversations with him.
‘It’s not the first conversation we have had with him. We built this relationship [from trying to sign him before], and he knows that we know him quite well.
‘With us, we can help him to grow as a player.’
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