Thomas Partey was, entering this summer transfer window, considered one of the Gunners’ most likely departures. The Ghanaian international has entered the final year of his Arsenal contract, and the Gunners, who have shown no interest in extending it, were expected to cash in on him in order to avoid losing him on a free transfer next summer.
Interestingly, everything has ended up suggesting that the 31-year-old is likely to continue at Arsenal for one more season. There have been no takers for his services, and Mikel Arteta may have decided to continue enjoying the high-quality service he offers if it helps his club win the league.
Well, in his latest
CaughtOffside essay, Arsenal insider Charles Watts shared his opinion on Partey’s potential future. Watts believes the Arsenal midfielder will not depart before the transfer deadline. He claims Arsenal has been open to his departure, but they have not received any offers that have encouraged them to finalize the deal.
“I don’t really see Partey moving on now,” Watts commented. “Arsenal have been open to him leaving for each of the past two summers, but they have not received any offers that have been deemed suitable.
“There has been interest from Saudi Arabia, but it’s never materialised into anything concrete.”
As long as he stays, there is hope that Thomas Partey can maintain his fitness; his performance against Wolves demonstrated how vital he could be anchoring Arsenal’s midfield as a 6.
Though Mikel Merino’s arrival may cause a midfield shake-up, squad options such as Thomas Partey and Jorginho, when called upon, have the potential to offer a new dynamic to Arteta’s midfield, catching opponents off guard.
Would you be happy if Partey stays this season or not?
Daniel O
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Either cash in or extend please. Think he still had a place but if they ain’t gonna extend get the money back
cash in now he is fit. his best days are behind him
His passing range is still top notch. His movements carrying of the ball too is good. He seemed to have lost in recovery mobility when there’s a switch in possession in favour of the opponents. We need his experience.
ADM should be able to help the team recover. open your eyes, he has lost the needed physicality. arsenal midfield was dead in second half
Stop gap for 6 months until Merino signs and then he will go to Saudi in Jan unless he is playing as we all know he can !
The interesr in Partey last season was real. I think the reason for him not going @ the time was dual fold.
On the 1 hand i believe the club did not want to lose him as he is still a world class player. On the other hand i suspect Partey does not fancy playing in Arabia.
Furthermore i believe an amicable solution was reached whereby the player could leave on a free when his contract expires. This would satisfy both parties as the player would most likely increase or maintain his salary, due to him being a free-agent, on his next transfer.
I stand to be corrected!
defensive midfield is a clear weakness for Arsenal, fan favourite or not it is clear Partey/Jorginho is a big risk for Arsenal this season, a bigger risk than the simple minded ‘new striker’ obsession
Whilst I’d also love a new DM coming in, with Merino joining it’s most likely Rice will play there this season. Also, Jorginho can step in for certain games very well, and give Partey some credit, he missed near all of last season, it usually takes him three to five games to return to top form, he’s perfectly capable of doing it again. Next summer we return for Zubimendi, Merino convincing him to join after his first amazing season with us 😉 I think striker and Saka back up are the only two important needs this summer now, after Merino (who can also play deeper).
If and when we sign Merino, Rice will take over the 6 role as first choice, and Partey will become a squad player along with Jorginho. Two very good, experienced options there for the next season. No rush to sell him this window, though it would be ideal if we can get a younger replacement on lower salary.
If he can stay fit, I’d give him a new rolling contract in a heartbeat.
An Arsene Wenger policy and one I’d agree with.
Exactly Ken. Why do some fans fall to appreciate and underrate our players? You should here other fans talk about how good Partey is and how lucky we are to have him. I don’t understand all these *** about letting him go. No one in the team offers or matches what he does not even the incoming Merino. Even some Madrid fans wanted Kross to stay and a happy they still have Modric because you can hardly find players atleast for now in the world that can give you what these guys do, I could go on with a couple more.
*Fail to appreciate our players and underrate them? You should hear*
Most of them simply find it easier to drink the media kool-aid than to think independently. But that’s o.k. as long as they’re not running the club.
i’ll be one of those then i suppose?
i do appreciate Partey’s abilities…of three or four years ago, was the one player I wanted to to see on the team sheet at that time such was his influence
aging happens to us all, and Partey is not immune, more injuries and longer recovery time are part of that
but regrettably what is becoming increasing apparent is not just inconsistency of availability, but inconsistency of performance
if you did not see the drop off in performance in the second half against Wolves and Arsenal vulnerability as a result, then it is not cool-aid you are drinking
we saw it in pre-season too
likewise Partey lost control of midfield against a very poor Man U outfit
and was not much better at home to Everton the week before
against better opponents than Wolves, Man U and Everton that costs us
my eyes are open to the facts of today, not blinded by nostalgia
to win the PL title against this Man C team Arsenal need to be perfect, Partey is simply a weak link in that week-in-week out 90 minutes per match perfection level required
believe me the last thing i want is to be proven right by one of those Partey moments costing us 3 points and potentially the title, fix it now!
If you say so I suppose. Well, I’ve certainly been told. I take it you don’t think Partey should be playing for us. At least you’re not blinded by nostalgia as you say.
apologies if the nostalgia comment grates, that was not the intention, what I was trying to say is that many fans view of Partey is based on performance 3 or 4 years ago in his prime, if honest with ourselves it is clear to all Partey consistency and performance levels have dropped, dangerously so to losing control of midfield for a period in the second half against Wolves and it transformed both teams performance, Wolves were more dangerous in attack and our own attack disjointed
it happened in pre-season too, and against Man U and Everton, having played nearly 10 games in a row it is not about match sharpness and is a worrying trend that better teams might exploit
Partey is not the player of 3 or 4 years ago, hanging on to that memory and ignoring the facts today is a big risk
no problem. Actually my original comment wasn’t really even meant to be directed at the Partey situation specifically but rather a generalized opinion with regard to fans simply going with whatever the media narrative is rather than giving any independent thought whatsoever to a matter prior to expressing their opinion. I do agree with some aspects of your Partey related comments but do hold the opinion that unless a decent offer comes in/has come in from the Saudi’s or whoever, he is worth a place on the bench if nothing else.
I agree with you. Think again though. First game. Everyone trying to get up to speed. Arteta could of bought on Jorghino…he did not. Partey stayed the course. For a reason? We will find out. We must keep him. If & when Merino joins what a fabulous choice we have in midfield. COYGs.
The fact is after Pathey’s return to fitness he has never remain the same physically and in his mobility of the ball.
It’s surely a big risk to depend on Pathey & Jorginho throughout the season to play beside Rice without a deputy. One is getting older while the other is injury prone. No doubt we need a new midfielder and Merino is very good option if we can seal the deal.
What is the other option? Merino in so late means he will take time to bed in, Partey has no substantial offer, I would rather keep him if we do not get 30m+ offer
Bros, how long did it take Zirkee to score in his debute and the Match against Fulham for ManU. Havertz only need mod season to gel and end the season with 14 goals for Arsenal.
I bet sir it all depends on the player. Most Spanish players are technically gifted Merino is 6.2ft box to box midfielder.with the best ground duel won in top 5 European clubs last season.
I think zirkzee will end up a very good signing for utd (possibly not a big goalscorer, but a good player), but that is yet to be determined – it’s not uncommon for players to score on their debut and then struggle. The first game is a bit of a special case.
how do you rate Partey 30M. no sane team would make such an offer for a player who barely plays 2 months consecutive
Sell Partey while he is not injured and still has decent sale value, because Merino would most likely come
We’ve got too many players who can play the CDM role, namely Rice, Jorginho, Partey, Zinchenko and Timber
How many of those players can play the CDM role well? To my mind, only partey and jorginho have demonstrated they can do it successfully in our side. That might change for rice with a slightly different setup, and I think there’s a good chance timber would fit the position well, but that is yet to be seen.
Zinchenko/ Timber are pretty press-resistant in tight spaces and possess very good technical skills, so they’d likely be successful in that position
I agree. A number six is the pivot who needs to be able to move the ball forward efficiently and with accuracy. Very few players in the game can do this, Partey can. Zinchenko could do but would struggle with the physical aspects of the role, even Timber struggles with that side of the game.
I agree Nabilo even though I’m not sure at this point about where Timber’s skill set is best utilized in the current club. MA must have fun considering the possibilities presented by certain players.
If no one else comes in we must keep Partey, we need a squad to better City as rotation of our squad could be the key to pip them to the Title.
There’s the conundrum. How to prove his fitness in order to get a new contract. If we sign Merino, as expected ,and Rice takes the defensive role, then I don’t see Partey’s value other than as someone to come off the bench for injuries or to help seal games., but Joginho already does that admireably.
If he has a year left on his deal, then see it out and let him leave for wherever he wishes.
Agree. Keep him. He’s much needed. Just not so often…
Most definitely. A fit and firing Partey can propel us to the title playing with Rice.