Mikel Arteta finally confirms his Thomas Partey stance as Arsenal contract talks reach critical point

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Mikel Arteta was asked to comment on Thomas Partey’s future when addressing the media ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Southampton.

The 2024/25 season ends on Sunday at St Mary’s, which could represent several players’ last game for Arsenal.

Jorginho is set to join Flamengo at the expiration of his contract in North London, while Kieran Tierney will sign for his boyhood club, Celtic.

Despite only 90 minutes of the campaign remaining, Arsenal have yet to decide one player’s future, as Thomas Partey’s contract situation remains unclear.

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Mikel Arteta confirms contract plan for Thomas Partey

The Ghanaian is out of contract in the summer, but that doesn’t mean that he will necessarily leave alongside Jorginho.

Arsenal have opened talks with Partey over a new contract, which has split opinion given the midfielder’s high and low performances throughout the campaign.

It’s understood that Partey is happy to stay at Arsenal, even though transfer interest from clubs such as Barcelona has been listed.

While the club are yet to confirm a concrete plan for the 31-year-old, Arteta was clear on his stance regarding the situation when speaking to the media ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Southampton.

Reporting from the Arsenal manager’s press conference, journalist Simon Collings revealed that Arteta had confirmed that he wants Partey to stay.

“Well there is some question marks on a few of them. We have a match to play on Sunday and then a chance to sit down and work out what needs to be done.

“For Thomas I think it has been his best season. He is a very important player of the season,” Arteta said.

The news may not come as a surprise, as sporting director Andrea Berta recently held talks with Partey’s agent regarding a possible new deal. 

It’s set to go right to the wire for Arsenal and the Ghana international, who could extend his five-year stay at the Emirates.

New contract for Partey will split opinion

Being one of Arsenal’s highest earners in 2024/25, there is a lot to be thought about with regard to Partey being offered a new deal.

At 31, many presumed that the Ghanaian would leave in the summer, given that Arsenal are set to welcome Martin Zubimendi, a positional equal to the 2020 signing.

Added to the idea of incomings and Arteta’s plan to revamp the midfield, Arsenal fans haven’t been impressed with Partey in recent weeks, with questions set to be asked over why the former Atletico Madrid man isn’t moved on.

It appears that it will only be a matter of time until Partey signs a new deal at Arsenal, making for interesting reading ahead of the summer transfer window.