Thomas Partey will miss Arsenal’s first leg against against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals.
Arsenal beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night to secure their place in the last four of Europe’s elite competition, winning the tie against Los Blancos 5-1 on aggregate.
With the second leg poised at 1-1 and the Gunners cruising into the next round, Partey was booked for dissent after getting involved in an altercation involving Dani Ceballos, with just five minutes remaining.
The booking was Partey’s third this season in the Champions League, meaning he won’t be available against PSG at the Emirates through suspension.
With that said, here are three potential replacements for the Ghanaian that Mikel Arteta should consider using against the French giants.
- READ MORE: Forget Bukayo Saka, Mikel Arteta says another Arsenal player ‘turned the game around’ vs Real Madrid
Myles Lewis-Skelly
Myles Lewis-Skelly has been inverting into midfield from left-back this season, and has looked comfortable in these central positions.
A midfielder by trade, the 18-year-old spent his formative years in the academy playing as both an eight and as a six, and thus, could either slot into Partey’s position or Declan Rice’s, and let the Englishman move deeper.
Riccardo Calafiori should be fit enough to start against PSG, taking Lewis-Skelly’s place at left-back and allowing the Hale End graduate to move into midfield.
The teenager’s aggressive ball carrying and astute passing range could be useful attributes in the middle of the park for Arsenal.
Mikel Merino
Another option for Arteta is to move Mikel Merino back into his natural midfield position.
The Spaniard was bought to be a left eight, and many expected his addition to allow Rice to play as a six more frequently.
Capable in duels and growing more confident in possession, Merino can certainly perform to a high level in midfield.
Leandro Trossard would likely then come in and play up front, although this solution would mean that the Gunners miss everything that Merino has been doing effectively as a striker.
Jorginho
Jorginho was ruled out of Arsenal’s game at the Bernabeu after sustaining a chest injury at home to Brentford on the weekend.
It remains to be seen whether the Italian will be available in time to face PSG at the Emirates, although the extent of his setback didn’t seem too severe.
He’s the most like-for-like replacement for Partey, capable of sitting at the base of the midfield and dictating the game with his metronomic passing.
If fit, this is probably the option Arteta will turn to.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
