In the end, keeping Thomas Partey for another league season cannot be a terrible thing. If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that the Ghana international’s talent is undeniable; he’s a one-of-a-kind No. 6, but given his fitness struggles, availability has always been an issue.
He wasn’t as impressive in the USA preseason as many thought, despite the fact that it was an opportunity to re-establish trust with Arteta and the Arsenal fans. However, given the state of the US tour’s pitches, he likely played within himself and avoided long sprints. Despite this, in the last two friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon, he displayed a distinct and exceptional performance.
He played the final 28 minutes against Leverkusen, but he started against Lyon and delivered a spectacular 77-minute performance that only his stats below could well explain.
Thomas Partey vs Lyon
– 77 minutes played
– 53 Touches
– 100% Accurate long balls
– 100% Ground duels won
– 98% Accurate passes
– 47/48 Accurate passes
– 7 Passes into the final third
– 6 Recoveries
– 4/4 Long balls
– most passes in the game
The Ghana international looked crisp Sunday afternoon in the final friendly before the new season; I guess the expectation among Gooners is that he stays fit. However, with reduced reliance on his services and the possibility of Jorginho and Rice playing as a 6, his minutes may be regulated, reducing the risk of him picking up injuries. With Partey’s brilliance, Arsenal certainly stands a better chance of fighting for glory.
Daniel O
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he is good but fragile
i hope arteta trains Timber or Carafiori to no 5 position to act as cover when Partey is injured
my views too. timber should be ready to assist in no.6 since Partey does not guarantee fitness
Agree entirely. We must keep him. Manage his minutes & he will be a huge asset. We could,if all goes well this season offer another year or let him leave for free. It’s the now that matters. Another reason why we should also purchase Merino. 28 is not too old.
If Merino comes to play the left-sided AM or mezzala, Rice would have to return to the CDM position, which would force Partey or Jorginho to leave
@Gai injury is our major concern with Pathey, no one can deny his skill set as a No6 very good in tight space. One of the best in Epl. IMO I don’t know what to believe agin regarding MMerino coming to Arsenal the whole situation is dragging too long. If he is eventually signed after the league start on Saturday, integrating him could be very slow.
I guess Arsenal will only buy Merino if they can sell Nketiah
I think so. FFP and PSR rules are tightening things
But what if that doesn’t work? We haven’t played well when rice has played CDM historically, and I’m not convinced Merino would change that – he’s basically another rice, slightly better in some respects but worse in others. I could see us turning to partey/jorginho again fairly quickly were we to go that route tbh. Imo merino would be good backup for rice and could help us cover for injuries to partey/jorginho – great for squad depth – but he doesn’t improve our first team.
that CDM role is best played by Partey..we are almost unbeatable when he’s played.. Arsenal plays best with Partey & even at the end of last season we won every match he played in.. let’s hope he’s fit coz he adds so much to us & is better than Rice in that role. his control, passing & quick transitions into attack
Partey is still a great player
Partey definitely looked better in the Lyon game compared to his other games going back to his final games of last season. He looked all over the place and out of pace against Everton and United last season leading some to conclude he was finished.
A fit Thomas Partey is a massive player for the squad. He has a unique way of progressing the ball which allows Saka and Odegaard to flourish. I’m just glad we are past the days when we had to rely on him alone. With him,Jorginho and Rice capable of playing in the pivot,we can manage his minutes to keep him fit for longer.
he is good at progressing ball from deep. He was among the top facilitators of Saka shining
Merino could be ideal stop gap for 3 or 4 years …learn from Oartey for 4 -8 months and perhaps taken over in Jan and Partey leave sin that window.
Though it would be amazing if he could stay fit the whole year and lead us to the title …Great player when fit! Maybe having time off since end of season has helped
When Partey is up and running, he is absolutely a joy to watch. He is dominant, controls the game and always forward thinking etc.
Injuries troubles are the only drawback. A Majestic player.
There is no doubting his quality when he is 100% fit and when he has a run in the team. I wouldn’t consider selling him unless we got an offer we couldn’t refuse.
Now that the world class player is back to his best, he must handle with kids gloves starting with the season opener.
Sorry, but I have to put a dampner on this.
We should have cut our losses on TP. Each season he has been here he has had a long term injury and is more of a liability to the extra minutes others have to play in his place.
Don’t get me wrong, a great player on his day, but I am afraid I have to put him in the same bucket as Tommi and Viera. Time to let them go.
I just don’t think he has the strength and fitness to be competitive in then EPL.
My opinion can be changed but I wouldn’t bet my house that he would be fit in November, no matter what he did in a pre-season game against Lyon.
his best performance of the 5 pre-season exhibition matches, umm that’s all
3 years ago was the first name I looked for on the team sheet, he was that influential to Arsenal performance, but I had to look for the name rather than expect it
3 years on it is clear his best days behind him, still puts in a good performance (e.g. Spurs) but also shockers (e.g. Man U) – inconsistent performance and inconsistent availability is not the bedrock of the perfect ever game Arsenal require to topple Man C
and next summer leaves for nothing
I’m OK for him to stay in tandem with Jorginho but would prefer a younger replacement this window, but, like new striker, with 2 weeks left, unlikely now
I think Lewis-Skelly might be the one to eventually take over. He might have the seemingly extremely rare skillset for that role. I think we’re struggling to find serious options in the transfer market, given zubimendi didn’t want to join.
You may be on to something. Lewis-Skelly appears to be an incredibly intelligent player. His movement both on and off the ball appears to be extraordinary. He seems to be the total package.
Its not a question of “if” Thomas Partey gets hurt, it’s when. We are well past the point of pretending he can play a full season. Secondly, Lyon is MILES off the pace Partey will see week-in/ week-out in the EPL. It’s time to move him on while we can still recoup a fee for him. The longer we wait to sell, the less valuable he becomes.
I keep on saying that we should add two more years to his contract.
He is still the best in his position.
There are far more injury prone players who are being managed by their clubs due to their worth (what they bring to the table when fit).
For about 636 days Santi did not play and most thought he never would, as anytime they sewed him up, it splits again and worsens.
We let go of our fan favorite and playmaker in 2018 and he has since played top competitive soccer till date for Villarreal and now Oviedo.
Let us not repeat that with Thomas.
Our best midfielder when fit and 100%, always one of the players I want to see in the starting lineup as it mostly assures me of us controlling the game. We still need him in this team at least for this season as he is clearly better than everyone else in that number 6 role while give Rice one more season to study and improve his ability to control and dictate play at the highest level from that position in the future.
Partey is a great player. Save him for Champions League nights and Top 6 matchups. Rotate and give opportunities to youth at LCM/DM against mid-table and weaker.
Thomas is in the same bracket as Rodri and he is the teacher.