Arsenal midfielder Lokonga receives from The Athletic UK reporter Caoimhe O'Neill interview. "I had an easy two years. Lokonga paused, "There is a manager who supports you, gives you confidence, trusts you, ......It's what a player wants and what a player needs. That's why I want to give back to him on the pitch. ”
Ten minutes before Lokonga's lavish praise for Edwards, the Luton boss was full of praise for the player, who arrived at Luton Town on transfer day last September, having missed most of the next three months with a hamstring injury in his second game for Luton.
Luton's training base is close to the town's busy airport, which means that every few minutes, their interviews are interrupted by the roar of planes overhead.
Lokonga spoke about his partner, Ross Barkley.
We gave the ball to each other and we had a good understanding. You can see on the pitch and it's a pleasure to play with him because I know I can trust him and he knows he can trust me.
We chatted because I knew he was on loan at Chelsea for a while (at Aston Villa in 2020/21) and then he went back.
That's why we're talking – that's going to be my situation [at Arsenal] in June. I borrowed as much as I could from his experience; , get some advice, try to avoid mistakes, and find your own way. ”
The two also spoke about the expectations of returning to the England and Belgium national teams.
It's hard to say I should have been called up because it was a choice made by the manager, but, of course, I was a candidate for the national team squad, just like Rose did in England.
Rose should go to the Euros because when you see how he performs – he's done really well and I think he deserves it. ”
At the end of the interview, Lokonga answered a question about a previous all-or-nothing documentary.
In one scenario, Lokonga's mood has been declining since joining Arsenal and he was questioned by his team-mates in the restaurant.
Emile Smith Rowe told him he wasn't a starter anymore. Lokonga replied, "I was before. ”
Then striker Nketiah said: "So what, my friend? Do you think you're the only one who doesn't kick the ball? ”
My answer is still the same. A player wants to play and if he can't play, he's not happy. The other thing is, me and Eddie, we're really, really close. If you look back, you'll see that I even laughed at the end.
I don't think it's complicated, but I don't like the kind of out-of-context quotes. Eddie looked like a hard worker, while I looked like an unhappy person, whining and moaning. Eddie is my friend. This is more like something that social ** will do, screenshots, parsing. ”
It is worth mentioning that Lokonga has been watching Arsenal play all along.
It wasn't until this year that I realised how big Arsenal are because when you're in a club you can't really see what's going on outside, you just have to focus on the game and training.
Now I've been to Crystal Palace and Luton Town and you can look further afield and you can see how big the club is and Arsenal fans all over the world. ”
'I'm not someone who cries a lot, but if Luton had stayed in the Premier League at the end of the season, I would probably have cried on the pitch and that means a lot to what I've experienced over the years. For them, to achieve this, I know what that means. ”