Thomas Partey may be coming to the end of his time at Arsenal.
Arsenal are no longer as reliant on Thomas Partey as they once were, nor can they afford to be.
The Ghanaian midfielder arrived at the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2020, joining in a £45 million switch from Atletico Madrid. He quickly became the Gunners’ lynchpin in the middle of the park, and was comfortably the north London club’s best player in that part of the pitch at that time.
However, even since his first season in the Premier League, fitness issues have plagued the midfielder. So far in the current campaign, he has been restricted to just four Premier League appearances and hasn’t been seen in red and white since Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester City, when he made a late cameo off the bench. Fortunately, Arsenal now have Declan Rice at their disposal, making Partey’s absence far easier to cope with.
For all of the player’s quality, Mikel Arteta simply cannot invest his full faith in Partey as it is a virtual certainty that he will be sidelined for a significant portion of any given campaign. For that reason, according to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are “already planning” for life without Partey.
Why Arsenal need to sell Thomas Partey
This planning has taken the form of considering potential replacement midfielders who could be brought to the club in a future transfer window. Aston Villa ace Douglas Luiz is reportedly Arteta’s “dream” target for the upcoming January market, and would be a direct replacement for Partey.
Several other midfield options are also being weighed up by Arteta and sporting director Edu. One thing that is clear, though, is that the time has come to move on from Partey for good. In fact, the need to do so is increasingly pressing.
As things stand, the 47-cap Ghana international’s contract with the Gunners will expire in 18 months, at which point he will be able to leave the club on a free transfer. Arsenal must do all they can to get a decent fee for Partey before that eventuality can come to pass.
The player has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, where clubs certainly have the resources to at least match his current £200,000-per-week wages, meaning reaching an agreement on personal terms ought to be a formality. Arsenal will be hoping that a fair transfer offer therefore arrives sooner rather than later. Those funds could then be reinvested in Partey’s replacement, be it Luiz or an alternative target.
However, the longer it takes for a suitor to come forward, the more Partey’s contract will run down, making it harder for Arsenal to fetch a decent fee for the player.
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