Arsenal new boy, Albert Sambi Lokonga, has two football-playing brothers, one of whom once spent time with Spurs and who has faced Arsenal four times.

Standard s Paul-Jose Mpoku Ebunge looks dejected during a soccer match of Belgian team Standard de Liege against English club Arsenal F.C., Thursday 12 December 2019 in Liege, on the sixth and last day of the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, in group F.
Standard s Paul-Jose Mpoku Ebunge looks dejected during a soccer match of Belgian team Standard de Liege against English club Arsenal F.C., Thursday 12 December 2019 in Liege, on the sixth and last day of the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, in group F.

Albert Sambi Lokonga has impressed for Arsenal in pre-season since his signing from Anderlecht last month.

The 21-year-old midfielder also has two older football-playing brothers, Fabrice Sambi Lokonga and Paul-Jose Mpoku.

Fabrice, 26, signed for Erpeldange in Luxembourg last summer, but Paul-Jose Mpoku certainly looks like he’s had the better career of the pair.

Now 29, Mpoku signed for Konyaspor last month on a free transfer, leaving Al-Wahda where the left winger scored seven goals and created five in 29 appearances.

Mpoku can also count among his former clubs Standard Liege, Panathinaikos, Chievo Verona, Leyton Orient and, as mentioned, Tottenham.

Sambi Lokonga’s older brother signed for Spurs from Standard Liege in 2008, when he was 16, before eventually being sold back to Standard Liege three years later for £360,000, having not made a senior appearance for Tottenham. While in England, Mpoku spent a season on loan with Leyton Orient, where he made 34 appearances, scoring four and assisting six.

He has actually played against Arsenal four times, losing two and drawing the other two without registering a goal or assist. He played six minutes for Leyton Orient in a 1-1 FA Cup 5th round tie in 2011, before playing 11 minutes in the replay that Arsenal won 5-0. More recently, he lined up for Standard Liege in the Europa League. Mpoku played the full 180 minutes of those two games in 2019 that Arsenal won 4-0 and drew 2-2.

Mpoku signed a two-year deal with Konyaspor that comes with an option of a third year until 2024. Sambi Lokonga, meanwhile, signed a five-year deal with Arsenal until 2026.