Mikel Arteta transfer stance on Thomas Partey now revealed as Arsenal could still offer new deal

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The future of Thomas Partey at Arsenal is still very much up in the air, as the possibility of handing him a new deal still exists.

Thomas Partey is now back at London Colney, taking part in pre-season at Arsenal.

However, at this stage, it is unclear if the Ghanaian midfielder will still be on the club’s books by the time the transfer window closes.

It has previously been suggested that Arsenal are keen to move Partey on this summer. Certainly, there is an argument that Mikel Arteta ought to cash in on the former Atletico Madrid man.

Whilst there can be no denying the 31-year-old’s talent, he was unable to make a significant impact for the Gunners last season. As they have all too often throughout his Arsenal career, recurrent injury issues plagued Partey.

Over the course of last season, he was able to make just 16 appearances, across all competitions. 14 of those outings came in the Premier League, of which only 9 were starts.

On top of that, Partey was poor in some of his performances towards the end of the campaign, as he looked to struggle with the pace of Premier League football.

However, it would seem that Arteta still holds out a hope that the midfielder can get back to his best. Certainly, a full pre-season will help, and if he can remain injury-free, he could yet play an important role for Arsenal this season. 

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What Arsenal have planned for Thomas Partey this summer and beyond

Arsenal Insider understands that Arsenal are open to selling Partey this summer, but they don’t want to be left short in the middle of the park.

Albert Sambi Lokonga has already left, whilst Emile Smith Rowe could soon follow the Belgian out of the club. 

Arteta does want that other midfielder with Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino and Joao Neves amongst the names he really appreciates.

From Partey’s perspective, he is aware that the Gunners won’t be in a position to give him a long-term deal, which he knows is on offer to him both from clubs in Italy and the Saudi Pro League, which is his most likely destination, were he to depart.

Partey’s current contract is set to expire at the end of this coming season, but the notion of offering him new terms has not been ruled out completely, if he can prove his form and fitness. However, due to his age and injury record, the Gunners would not table another long-term offer.