New shirt number confirmed for Arsenal first-teamer

Albert Sambi Lokonga has returned to Arsenal for first-team training after his loan spell at Sevilla officially expired on June 30th. Sevilla possessed an option to buy Lokonga permanently but decided against activating it, leading to his return to his parent club.

Upon returning to Arsenal, Lokonga found he could not reclaim his previous squad number 23, as it had been assigned to new signing Mikel Merino. Instead, Lokonga has been pictured wearing the number 28 shirt in training, a number previously worn by Arsenal players like Joe Willock, Joel Campbell, and Kieran Gibbs.

The night before rejoining Arsenal training, Lokonga shared a message on his Instagram story expressing focus for the pre-season: "Let’s go into pre-season more focused than ever... Grateful to live the life I live and I will continue to give everything! Let’s enjoy the process before the process becomes the past."

Now 25 years old, Lokonga made 23 appearances for Sevilla in the 2024/25 season. He was a regular starter when fit, but his involvement was hampered by several hamstring injuries. Sevilla's poor performance, resulting in a failure to qualify for European competition and tight summer funds, led them to decide against investing around £10m to make his loan permanent.

Although Lokonga faced the possibility of becoming a free agent this summer due to Sevilla's decision and his expiring Arsenal contract, the Gunners activated an option to extend his deal until 2026. While a summer transfer away from Arsenal remains the most likely outcome, it is uncertain if a club will make a suitable offer for him.