Arsenal's new signing Lokonga picks players he is excited to work with

Albert Sambi Lokonga

has settled in at Arsenal following an £18 million ($25 million) transfer to Emirates Stadium, and the illustrious 21-year-old has named the players he is most excited to play with in north London. 

Mikel Arteta

believes in the Belgian midfielder's potency as the Gunners aim to develop for the present and future with savvy purchases and significant contract extensions. 

Lokonga is a part of that development, and in 2021-22, he hopes to shine among established players and promising newcomers.

Quizzed by 

to choose those he is longing to link up with, Lokonga said:

"I think [Nicolas] Pepe [is the one I am most excited to link up with].

"But I'm also looking forward to playing with [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, [Alexandre] Lacazette, [Bukayo] Saka also, so yeah, I hope to have a connection with all the players and quickly."

The highly-rated starlet is a true individual who insists on forging his own career at Arsenal instead of following the footsteps of other football legends. 

However, when it came to creating his own career in the midfield flight deck, he looked to a number of famous performances for admiration. 

Selecting those he looks up to, Lokonga continued:

"I never wanted to be like a player, I always wanted to be Sambi, so I took a little bit of all the players I used to watch.

"I never said to myself that you need to be like this player, I always wanted to be Sambi and to do Sambi on the pitch.

"If I had to tell you some players, I will say [Sergio] Busquets, Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta, [Luka] Modric, yeah, all the top players, Marco Veratti as well. All the top players."

Arsenal are prepping for friendly derbies against London adversaries Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur and a

season start against Brentford on August 13.

Follow 

 for the