Arsenal expert tips Mikel Arteta to sanction exit of key midfielder, with replacement already lined up

There is a good chance that Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey will leave Arsenal next year, with the 30-year-old’s future reportedly in doubt.

The Ghana international has fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates this season due largely to the arrival of £105m signing Declan Rice.

Partey has featured just four times in the Premier League so far, and only two of them have been starts. Admittedly, though, some of these absences have been due to injuries.

When Arsenal signed Rice in July there was plenty of interest in Partey from European and Saudi clubs. He ultimately opted to stay and fight for his place, but if his playing time doesn’t increase soon, it seems likely he will leave in the near future.

Speaking on his Inside Arsenal show on YouTube, reputed Arsenal journalist Charles Watts suggested it is very likely Partey will leave the Gunners at the end of the season.

“I would have liked someone like Lavia from Southampton. I think he would have been a good option, but I can see why that didn’t happen this summer,” Watts said.

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“I do think the time to think about Partey’s exit will be this summer. I don’t know if I would do it. But I think it’s certainly something Arsenal will think about given his contract, there is only a year left, given his age and injury record.

“If a good offer comes in for him, it’s kind of similar to what last summer was. We knew it was something they were open to if something came in that was tempting. I think that would be the case again this summer [at the end of the season].”

Partey may have played a big role in Arsenal’s success last season but he is already past his prime and the likes of Rice and Jorginho are both preferred by Mikel Arteta. Charlie Patino is also doing well out on loan with Swansea, so he could replace Partey in the future.

Arteta is also looking to bring in a new defensive midfielder in January, with Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi thought to be at the top of his shortlist. 

If that happens, it would be almost inevitable that Partey will indeed leave the Emirates, either this winter, or at the end of the season, as Watts suggests.

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