Arsenal has been attempting to let go of Thomas Partey for a while now. During the initial part of the window last summer, the Gunners made a concerted effort to sell him, but when no reasonable offer materialized, they ultimately decided to hold onto him.

With players like Martin Zubimendi being considered as long-term replacements and a contract extension for Jorginho on the table, it appears they are getting ready to do the same this summer. Mikel Arteta, though, appears to be a man who is desperate to keep him around.

It was widely believed that Partey’s time at Arsenal would come to an end with the club record arrival of Declan Rice. Given that rice is thought to be a pillar of the six, how are the two likely to get along? Arteta insisted that he knew the solution.

When asked if the two could play together back in July, he replied, “They was in my plans.” “We need more players who can play together and players in the same positions who have to compete for their spots if we want to improve the squad and have more quality.” It’s something that hasn’t existed in the last several years.

With one of his first opportunities, Arteta demonstrated the potential of this midifield. In the Community Shield, Partey, Rice, and Martin Odegaard shone for an Arsenal squad that more than equaled Manchester City. While it was a view into the future, it was regrettably only temporary.
Partey was forced to play right back due to injuries sustained by other members of the squad, and it took some time for us to see the Ghanaian back in the midfield. October saw a false dawn as Partey, Rice, and Odegaard worked together to get Arsenal past City once more, but this would be their final game together for seven months.

It’s difficult to ignore the possibility of what may have been given how brilliantly it worked against Chelsea. Rice and Partey appeared to be a wonderful match. The Ghanaian offers the grace on the ball that Rice may lack, and the England international possesses an abundance of athleticism and mobility that Partey may not. Rice was able to win it high up every time, free from the shielding duty lower down on the pitch, as Arsenal crushed any remaining life from their listless opponents.

Meanwhile, Odegaard enjoyed having the last part of the game to himself. Without a doubt, the highlight of the game was his through pass that led to Kai Havertz’s second goal.

While watching, Arteta undoubtedly cursed his luck for not having this strong trio at his disposal the entire season. Not quite, though.

After the game, he made a joke, saying, “Maybe we would have won every game.” But take a look at our current run and the points we have already earned.

“Thomas is an important player for us, and we have missed him since August. However, this has given other players opportunities. for Declan to be a No. 6 player before being discovered again as a No. 8. playing Kai as a No. 9 as well, and Jorgi’s performance has been outstanding.

“The squad needs to come up with new strategies to act, win, and switch up their attributes. They have the resources to do this. I’m overjoyed.

He is perfectly entitled to be. Partey was the team’s vitality not so long ago for Arsenal. He isn’t nearly necessary anymore, but he is like a second kidney for the Gunners; they are stronger with him.


After this performance, there will be a lot of discussion about the midfield that could have been, but Arteta will be focusing on the midfield that might be. He has some of the best options in the Premier League in the middle of the park. Who else could claim to have a backup eight as good as Emile Smith Rowe or a player like Jorginho as perhaps their third-choice defensive midfielder?

A few weeks ago, Rob Edwards said that Arsenal’s team is capable of playing in every style of game. That is undoubtedly the case with Partey available in the squad.


In the near term, that gives the Gunners all the information they need to get through a crucial four-match stretch that will determine their fate for the season. But ultimately, it raises a question for them.


Do they really intend to put Partey behind them this summer? Although the Ghanaian is getting older and is difficult to depend on for the entire season, there aren’t many players who can operate the midfield as well as he did against Chelsea. Their roster for the upcoming season may be defined by this choice, which the market may force them to make.