Not long ago, Mikel Arteta failed to give Thomas Partey minutes in defeats to Aston Villa (2-0) and Bayern Munich (1-0), games that some claimed required the Ghana international’s expertise, sparking several speculations regarding the Ghana international. Some believed that Mikel Arteta had completely moved on from the ex-Atletico Madrid midfielder, who has been heavily linked with a summer Arsenal exit.
The 30-year-old has impressed alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in Arsenal’s engine room in the last two games, a 5-0 victory over Chelsea and a 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Clearly, the ex-Atletico Madrid player is on a roll, and I doubt any Arsenal fan would consider Arteta benching him in this tricky Premier League title race. Fortunately, Mikel Arteta may have just hinted as to why he will rely on Partey in the season’s remaining fixtures; he spoke of the midfielder’s importance after the 3-2 win over Spurs, when Partey (who’s had a rough time with injuries) managed to complete a game (playing all 90 minutes) since the 1-0 win over Palace last August.
“It’s his presence, his quality, his physicality, and his experience that we have missed dearly,” the Arsenal manager remarked about his midfield general, who’s missed 70 games since joining Arsenal in 2020.
These claims suggest that Partey’s omission in games against Bayern Munich and Villa should have had a clear reason, even if Arteta faced significant criticism for neglecting the Ghanaian international.
Don’t be shocked if Partey plays himself into securing another year at the Emirates Stadium in the remaining three league fixtures.
Do you think we should keep Thomas for one more year and let him leave on a free next summer?
Sam P
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