Arsenal star Thomas Partey has missed most of this season with injury, but there is now more positive news as he is set to return soon.
The 30-year-old has been absent since October with a thigh issue, and Arsenal have missed him, as they are lacking depth in the back line and could also benefit from his presence in midfield.
Partey missed Ghana’s unsuccessful AFCON campaign because of his injury, but now appears on the verge of making a return to action, in what will be a massive boost for Mikel Arteta ahead of a crucial few weeks.
Arsenal ended their poor run of form with a 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace, but face tougher tests against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool next week, but if Partey is available, then they will be much more confident for those games.
When Thomas Partey could return for Arsenal
Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Charles Watts revealed that Partey is set to return to training this week, and could even be included in the matchday squad against Nottingham Forest.
“From what I’m hearing, the plan hopefully is that he could return to training this week, and that he potentially could feature against Forest on Tuesday night” Watts stated.
“That is the plan. Obviously, that can all change, it all depends how things go, and the final decision has to be taken during the week, but the plan as far as I’m aware, is that he’s going to come back to training this week, which of course will be great news.
“If everything does stay on track and Thomas Partey does return it’d be fantastic news for Arsenal, because there’s no doubt they have missed him, and if he can come back, and he can stay fit, then he’s going to have a huge, huge impact on Arsenal’s second half of the season.
“When he’s fit and he’s firing, there are not many midfielders better than Thomas Partey in this league.”
Partey return could be season-defining for Arsenal
Arsenal have been linked with several midfielders for the summer, as it appears that they are no longer relying on Partey to stay fit.
However, for the rest of this season, if he can find his best form without picking up further injuries, it would be massive for Arteta.
Although Jorginho has impressed in recent weeks, Kai Havertz has disappointed in midfield, and a trio of Partey, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard would be almost perfectly balanced.
With Arsenal aiming to claw their way back into the title race, they will likely see their performances improve when Partey returns, and the prospect of him and Rice lining up together could be the difference between a title challenge and disappointment in the coming weeks.
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