After making a transfer request, Lukic moved to Arsenal in July 1983 for £75,000, as a long-term replacement for Pat Jennings.
[7] In 1985–86 Lukic missed just three games in all competitions and in 1986–87 he clinched his first winners medal and won the League Cup Final against Liverpool.
Manager Howard Wilkinson signed Nigel Martyn from Crystal Palace in the summer of 1996 and Lukic rejoined Arsenal on a free-transfer in July 1996.
As deputy to David Seaman, he played 15 league games in 1996–97 as cover, but after the signing of Alex Manninger in 1997 he stepped down to No.
However, with Manninger injured, Lukic was on the bench for Arsenal's 2000 UEFA Cup final loss to Galatasaray, earning him a runners-up medal.
On 11 December 1990 he was called up to the England "B" squad to play Algeria in Algiers and he kept a clean-sheet in a 0–0 draw against the Algerian top team as he came on as a half-time replacement for Nigel Martyn, who was with Crystal Palace at the time.
There was a Mrs Lukić on board the plane, who did survive (along with her young daughter) after being saved by Manchester United goalkeeper Harry Gregg.
[16][17] Lukic has a son, also called John and also a goalkeeper, who was a youth player at Nottingham Forest until 2005; he signed professional terms with Grimsby Town in June 2005 to act as understudy to Steve Mildenhall for the 2005–06 season.