Many Arsenal fans believe Mikel Arteta would prioritize signing a right winger like Pedro Neto and a quality striker like Ivan Toney during the upcoming winter transfer window.
After learning on Tuesday that Thomas Partey was missing Arsenal’s Champions League match against Sevilla due to a muscle injury, I believe there is another urgent transfer business for Arsenal to accomplish this winter: They may need to recruit a reliable central midfielder. To continue the development of his midfield, Arteta must sell Partey, who’s holding his team back, and find a suitable successor to fill his void.
This season, the Arsenal No. 5 has only made five appearances. Fortunately, unlike in previous seasons, Declan Rice’s arrival appears to have helped Arsenal’s midfield not fall apart without him. But what happens if Rice is also unfortunately sidelined with an injury?
After the revelation of his latest injury, the reality is that Partey could be out for a while, and that’s disappointing. It’s sad that Partey has always been injured, season after season, missing some crucial fixtures that his command in midfield could have influenced.
I read somewhere that having a world-class talent who is unavailable to play is possibly worse than not having the player at all. Mikel Arteta would have signed Partey’s replacement if Arsenal had sold him in the summer (as rumors suggested the club was willing to let him go), but that didn’t happen. Now, the £45 million player has been injured twice in the first three months of the season.
I believe Mikel Arteta’s tactics at the moment do not rely heavily on him; after returning from injury before the October international break, the Spaniard did not quickly integrate him into the starting 11 as he has in the past, and some are even questioning how he was injured again when we haven’t seen much of him on the pitch. With it evident that Partey’s absence hasn’t hampered Arsenal’s tactics, I believe it’s time they replace him.
Without a doubt, the 30-year-old is a player who teams will leap at the chance to sign. Arsenal might sell him and sign a player such as Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi. The Spanish midfielder, whom Arsenal have been linked with for some time now, could be the perfect replacement for Partey and even Jorginho, who is also tipped to leave when his contract expires next year.
Jack Anderson
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Every year is the same. Partey fakes his injury up until the African Cup competition starts, then he is somehow miraculously fit and well to go and play in Africa. He is so predictable. Why don’t he just ask for a transfer, instead of faking his injury, every year before the Africa’s Cup?
I don’t believe Partey is faking it for one minute, but his ongoing injury problems are such that his contribution to the team is diminishing to an untenable degree.With the aging Jorjinho and Elneny as back ups, clearly our central midfield needs to be reinforced to support the excellent Rice.Basically Arteta should be looking to bring in two quality ,athletic , central midfielders next season to replace Partey,Jorjinho and Elneny.I believe Timber has been effective as a DM for Ajax on occasions, and he certainly has all the attributes required for that vital position.Zinchenko is also a capable left sided midfielder who can provide cover in a number of positions.Much as I admire TP efforts should be made to replace him and others in readiness for next season.
Instead of resigning Elneny for a further one year to sit on the bench and also Joginho as a third DM ( He’s actually a holding midfielder because he can’t tackle and has no legs)
Arteta should have signed a younger, strong midfielder behind Rice and Partey. eg. Yusif Fofana of Monaco.
Another solution is to let Zink. play the Xhaka role and move Rice to number 6.
Arteta’s problem is tribal; once you’re his favourite, whether good or bad he still plays you.
Joginho just circulates the ball and rarely moves the ball forward.
👍and Howard, unfortunately this favouritism towards certain players to the detriment of others by Arteta is holding Arsenal back.
Don’t think Partey does it every year because AFCON is not a yearly event. I believe the conspiracy theory of him faking injury for AFCON as much as I believe that lizard people control our world
You go through a lot just to paint an untruth.
The constant injury to Partey is a reminder we need to fix our midfield as soon as possible in January. Party and Jorginho must be replaced in January if we are to make any impact on the league title
Is smith Rowe also faking his to play for england u21??? Your theory is absurd mate
This is the next C.Theory off the conveyor belt. Didn’t Ghana also take special precautions regarding Partey in the recently concluded international break?
He definitely is not faking his injuries.
I don’t think Zubimendi will be willing to play second fiddle to Rice for the CDM position, unless Rice plays the left-sided AM role permanently
I’ve watched Zubimendi play several times and he’s not a suitable DM for the EPL. His passing is good but hasn’t got the physical structure to be successful in the EPL.
I reckon Zubimendi to be quite tall
1.81m
For me, continuity is important. Having an important and talented player side lined again only reinforces my opinion that Arteta needs to be actively considering finding a suitably talented replacement. Not being available to play on a regular basis is damaging and he is not a spring chicken. It’s Afcon for a month starting in mid Jan24 so Partey – if fit – will be missing again. I remember how damaging it was during AW’s reign watching some our best players disappear at the turn of the year.
Injuries can happen to any player but regular repeats are not sustainable in my book. ESR has struggled with injury in the past and has yet to be properly re-integrated. Bad timing for him and Arsenal. It must be difficult for Arteta in this instance with Partey to plan satisfactorily as he has been such an important figure.
Douglas Luiz is the best replacement for Partey.
Do you think Villa would be likely to sell one of their key players to a rival?
Douglas Luiz not good enough. Apparently being promoted by Edu, possibly Mendes player like Viera.
SueP, other questions are:
1. Why did Partey play for Atletico Madrid for years without injury, yet comes to Arsenal and suddenly misses games; and
2. Why is it that when Partey is fit and available to play Arteta fails to pick him to complete Arsenal’s strongest and best balanced midfield of Odegaard, Rice and Partey or wastes his talents at RB?
@Ozzie
How come that many players were very fit at their former clubs but the moment Arsenal signed them under wenger they became injury prone? You want me to go through the list? Or was that wenger was playing favouritism and lying to us about them being injured all the time?
I feel like a certain group of our fanbase are so wrapped into their Arteta pessimistic bubble Arteta that they will keep finding whatever made up opportunity they can get their hands on in order to advance their dislike for the guy.
Now he doesn’t like Partey and is playing favourites?
Well ozziegunner your reply surprised me
Timber arrived in the summer and will now miss the season. Injuries happen so what are you actually saying?
Partey was ever present when fit. Neither of us know his level of fitness or his ability at 30+ to play 90+ minutes regularly anymore. He was on the bench against Chelsea and I wondered if he was being ‘nursed’ back. But the more I thought about it later, it may very well have been in Arteta’s mind to save him for the Sevilla game. You seem to think there is some anti TP agenda and I believe the club’s statement
It is so frustrating. I agree we need to replace him with a beastly technical midfielder.
I have a feeling that even Arteta is fed up with the player. I’m sure if a good offer came in for him during the summer window, he’d be gone by now.
Which would have been ok by me because that has been my position all along given his injury profile and potentially long involvement in the AFCON.
Wish we could lay hands on Soumare of Leicester City (now on loan at Servilla). I liked the way he marshaled the midfield on Tuesday night against Arsenal. Easily brushed Odegaard aside on countless occasions.
I wouldn’t even mind Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City. PL experience with both players
1 good game doesn’t make you a beast…
Remember he couldn’t break into Leicester 11. Careful what you wish for
(Raya for Ramsdale) is still fresh
CM, I agree with you (and not Acemane) that Soumare has performed well at Sevilla and was a strong performer in a poor Leicester relegated side.
It was time in the last window but like normal our horrific selling continues.
Open cheque book continuously means there’s zero incentive for the manager to actually care about building a sustainable model.
@PJ-SA
🎯
PJ-SA, we don’t see much evidence of Arteta developing or improving existing players. The money Arsenal has spent in supporting Arteta is starting to add up.
Do we sell Jesus, do we sell Tomi, they are always injured? Saka, is always carrying an injury?
I am not against selling Partey despite him being the best DM we have. He reminds me of RVP (officially with us for 8 years but barely played 2 years).
Personally, I would like to buy nobody and push White into DM position and bring back Norton-Cuffy from his loan spell to cover that position until Timber returns.
This way we also have Kiwior as cover for the full back positions.
Whoever controls the money and the means through which the people get their information controls what the people believe or at least what the majority believe. As a result most people believe what they take to be news. Not because they really want to, but because that’s the only available information before them. If people’s field and scope of information and knowledge were to be broadened, then such people wouldn’t just jump and believe what’s making the raves. They would bring all available information before then, critically analyze before coming to a conclusion as to what’s true and not true. If not all at least some will do so. This is not a conspiracy but a fact.
I said that first because this article was brought about as a result of the last so called muscular injury to Partey for the Sevilla game. The injury to most, became one too many. An injury which I personally don’t believe and take as a lie. Pure lie. That doesn’t mean I’m saying Partey has not been getting injured. But this particular injury is a pure lie. This same fake injury cover up has been used a number of times on Partey, at least 2 times now. Makes you wonder if there’s something off going on with Partey or between Partey and Arteta.
The club have made it public that Partey had a muscle injury.
You have provided no evidence or declaration that disputes this except your personal belief. You have stated a “fake cover up” has been used before, again with no supporting sources or evidence.
It makes you wonder.
Chapo, why would Partey acquiesc to claiming an injury. Is it to cover the fact that he (a professional footballer) doesnt want to play or Arteta hasn’t selected him?
Thomas Partey loves Arsenal, loves playing for Arteta and very popular among his teammates. The Arabs could have offered 100m and still he would stay and fight for the club. That’s why Arteta kept him. Players like Elneny, Nketiah, Nelson and ESR also have similar attitudes. The manager wants respect, commitment and passion from his players and the current squad is full of those traits. Injuries are normal in this sport. Given time, they will be massive contributors. Take John Stones for example. Arsenal fans are at it again and the social media will eat it up naively.
Surely, you don’t truly love Arsenal and you don’t value the contributions of Thomas Partey. Don’t just get carried away.
I believe something is off. Back in the days Fernando Torres had to accept the traitor identity at Liverpool to save the club financially. Fans didn’t know until later. The club wants to move on TP and this is a progressive way of doing so. If he’d been sold before this started, the fans wouldn’t have accepted it. But if TP is moved on because he’s unreliable, everyone will agree and the clubs decision will be justified. These things happen. There’s info for fans and reality behind the scenes. Moreover nobody complains about the fact that Arsenal has never had dependable medical team. There are too many injuries at Arsenal over a decade. Just check history. AFC is one club with most player injuries and no one takes stock neither is anyone been held responsible.