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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