“He said to me ‘welcome’. He is going to push me to be a better player – I am looking forward to it.”
Lokonga has made 15 appearances for Arsenal this season as they pushed for the Premier League title, and arrives at Palace raring to get back into the thick of the action.
“I would like to gain some minutes – I want to go as far as possible with the team,” he said. “I don’t want to say a number, but I will try to push me and the team to do the maximum to reach the top.
“I don’t want to speak about ranking; I just think we need to take it game by game. Try to win each game and that is how we will do something great.
“Today I have been a lot in the car moving from left to right, but I'm fully fit – I am ready to start if needed on Saturday in the game [against Manchester United].”
The 23-year-old has already played at Selhurst Park this season, for Arsenal on the opening day, and is keen to get back to SE25 to experience the famous atmosphere once again.
