Mikel Arteta makes Thomas Partey decision ahead of Arsenal v Nottingham Forest

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has now made a firm decision on the involvement of Thomas Partey against Nottingham Forest. 

Injuries have restricted Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey to just a handful of appearances this season. He has only managed four Premier League outings so far, and hasn’t been seen in red and white since the Gunners’ 1-0 win against Manchester City back in early October.

The Ghanaian’s extended absence has increased the Gunners’ reliance on Declan Rice to stay fit. The former West Ham United man has struggled with a fitness issue of his own in recent days.

Partey’s recurrent injury issues are a real problem for the north London club. As talented as the 30-year-old is, Mikel Arteta simply cannot rely upon him to be fit and available when needed. 

Arsenal had the chance to offload Partey in the recent summer transfer window, as clubs in Saudi Arabia showed an interest in securing his services. The latest rumours have linked the player with a return to Spain. If Arsenal get the chance to cash in on Partey, either in what remains of the current January transfer window or in the summer, then they have to take it. 

Assuming that Partey will stay at the Emirates Stadium until the end of the current campaign, at least, the best case scenario is that he can get back to full fitness and play a key role for the club in the second half of the season. 

Will Thomas Partey play for Arsenal against Nottingham Forest?

However, Partey will not be making his return to action when Arsenal take on Nottingham Forest on Tuesday. Although he is back in training with the first team squad, this fixture has come around too quickly for the 47-cap Ghana international.

Arteta confirmed this in his press conference on Monday afternoon. As quoted by the club’s official website, the Spanish coach said, “we’ve got some late decisions to make. Thomas [Partey] won’t be one of those. But we have a few who had some issues. Thomas is not in the squad.”

Arteta also clarified that the “late decisions” he was referring to involve Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes, who both picked up knocks against Crystal Palace last time out.

Hopefully, though, Partey will be in contention to feature against Liverpool, in the Gunners’ next game, after their encounter at the City Ground. Arteta will want a full-strength squad of players to choose from when his side take on the current league leaders.