Is it wise for Arsenal to sell Thomas Partey and replace him with Romeo Lavia? Or is it wise for Arsenal to hold on to Partey for one more year, so that Lavia would learn from him before he left? Those are some of the questions Gooners have had on their minds recently upon reading speculations about the club’s midfield transfer activities.
In my opinion, it would be wise for Thomas Partey to stay even if Lavia joined. Looking at Lavia, he is still raw and inexperienced, and it would have been better if he had joined and deputised Partey.
So Partey plays in the big games, and Lavia plays in the others. Even if Partey is injury-prone and, as we saw last season, is one player who can’t sustain the momentum of offering world-class performances week in and week out, he is one of the finest holding midfielders in Europe’s top 5 leagues.
Lavia should have been given a chance to learn from him for the 2023–24 season: be his shadow, then gladly take over the main-man role the season after.
However, every hint suggests that wouldn’t be the case. Partey is set to be sold, as after signing Havertz and probably Rice on big transfer deals, the Gunners may need significant sales to fund other moves like Lavia’s.
Can Lavia immediately hit the ground running at the Emirates? I doubt he will, but who knows? He could, and that may be why Arteta may be resigned to parting ways with an excellent holding midfielder like Partey.
Ultimately, Jorginho and Rice (if he joins) will have to play a significant role in helping the Belgian establish himself at the Emirates. Partey would have done it so perfectly, but the mandate could be now theirs with Partey reportedly leaving….
Daniel O
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That’s a no brainer, regardless of who we sign our only world class player should remain at the club
Sell him. This is the summer to get good money for Partey if he stays he is warming the bench.Its Rice and Havertz in midfield. And he wants to go
Of course, but I heard Partey got £100m salary offer from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is going nuts right now with these ridiculous contracts..
Saudi Arabian club owners don’t seem to learn from Chinese clubs’ mega-transfers a few years ago. They’d better spend that oil money in Italy or England
Aside from Neves they are all players at the end of their careers.
Nice little bonus if you can get it.
I say we keep Partey. I was very skeptical if him when he first showed up and Arsenal but i was really impressed with him this season.
We have EPL, CL, FA cup, Carling Cup to compete in next season. And Arteta has not shown that he can play 2 competitions at the same time yet. He has failed because of our poor sqaud depth and may be because of Arteta himaself.
So we need to keep the likes of Partey for one more season to help the new signings bed in nicely.
Assuming Xhaka leaves that will potentially leave us with five defensively minded midfielders if Lavia and Rice both sign – Lavia, Rice, Elneny, Partey and Jorginho.
One of Elneny, Partey or Joginho will have to leave I would imagine.
Would Partey be happy just being a part player?
To be honest he faded away towards the end of last season and this I think is why Arteta would let him go.
👍 Goonster, a common sense response. Letting Thomas Partey go with the competitions Arsenal is competing in, verges on utter stupidity, unless Arsenal is prepared to spend on a player of better ability.
OT: Sky Germany is reporting the Citizens to have table a massive bid in the region of £95 mil for Joska Gvado.
The Croatian international has a release clause of ninety five mils as well.
If this is true, it rules them out of signing Rice. They can’t pay £95m for Gvardiol and also pay £100m for Rice. Can they do that?.
CG, Manchester City has a lower net spend than Arsenal, so they have spare money in the bank for both.
Arsenal have the funds to add Rice and Lavia and retain Partey. My concern is that Partey is trying to leave his legal problems behind by going to Saudi Arabia. Selling Xhaka and Partey for the transfer fees reported would verge on incompetence.
Ozzieguner
Saudi Arabia is offering Partey £200 mill in a two year contract and will pay Arsenal £40 mill for his service, that’s how I was made to understand it.
Arsenal am told is find with that as well.
The problem is as I understand, Partey prefers to go to Italy for which Juventus has been desperate for his signature for quite some time.
But Juventus do not like to depart with money so they are offering Author Mello or £17 million to Arsenal for Partey signature.
This Author Mello is the same Author Mello Juventus had tried to swap us for Partey and Gabriell Magalhaes in the pass.
Mello must have been the worst decision Klopp had ever signed off on, even when he was fit rarely made Liverpool bench.
So are you saying we are not out of the woods yet as it relates to the Citizens?
Gunsmoke, the sale to Saudi Arabia is the only option for Arsenal, if they believe he is somehow ” surplus to requirements”. Juventus are obviously trying to “have a lend” of Arsenal and should be told to take a “running jump”.
I believe Partey has two years left on his contract at Arsenal and can be sold at the end of next season.
Crazygoner
Honestly I can’t tell if they are allowed to, I would like to think not.
But this should be good news to Arsenal as Joska Gvardiol is a top defender that plays regular in the defensive half.
I Wouldn’t be suprise if their so call intrest in Rice cool.
Arsenal should keep partey for at least one more seoson but if arsenal land lavia and rice if right offer comes let them cash on him
A young player who was the primary defensive midfield option for a team that finished bottom of the league is not someone who should be entrusted with the same role for a club aiming to finish in the Top 4.
Having a year to train and play alongside Partey would be ideal but we need to cash in on him while he’s worth something. For that reason I think we should be looking elsewhere.
Same could be said when we signed Ramsdale, and he had been relegated in consecutive seasons. Lavia can be learn from Jorginho or Elneny.
Partey is the spine of our club and the only world class cdm we got .., for those talking about selling him I really don’t understand your thinking.
If Arteta tries such a stupid move he will follow through the door before mid season.
Party will be going for African Nations cup next season. The season afterwards will be his last based on his present contract. Is it not better to sell him now?
I believe Partey will be worth 30m by next season which is still good for us and the mideast .
Tricky decsion whether or not to sell PARTEY. Funds in are vital and its MA s decison whthw ror not PARTEY is in actula decline yet OR just felt fatigued at seasons end, when his perfs fell off a cliff.
IF we get both Rice and LAVIA, it is probably the financially wise decision to sell Partey. But still I would rather not, even though in life we rarely get ALL WE WANT.
In my opinion Jon, Declan Rice is an upgrade on Partey. I believe Partey to be technically superior, but Rice is 24 and better defensively and never takes a day off, he is an athletic specimen. If we bring in Rice, Timber and Havertz it will be the most successful transfer window in my memory.
👍
I have a couple of issues with this.
The whole point of buying Rice and Lavia is to strengthen our midfield. If we sell Xhaka and Partey then we haven’t actually strengthened but replaced?
Personally, ai think it makes no sense at all to sell both seeing that we have Champions League next year, which is more harder games than last season. We were pretty exposed for depth in the cups last season, so selling both in the same transfer window is a non sense.
My second point is Lavia. I have seen him play a few times and he has never been a ‘WOW, what a baller’ to me. To be honest, he reminds me a lot of Lokonga but with more minutes. Personally I think buying this player is a bit of a risk like Havertz. I would have been looking at Nevez instead of Lavia for this price, but that boat has sailed. I just find Lavia, a bit of a curve ball when we have Lokonga, White, Jorghinio (I taste bile), Elneny, Kiwior and Timber (if he joins) to play in DM?
I agree with your first two paragraphs. However, the midfield choices seem that they will come from Odegaard, Havartz and ESR attacking and Rice, Jorginho and Lavia defensively. As stated in another post, I would like to see Sambi and Elneny go, but would like to see Patino retained.
Partey is all but gone IMO. It was inconceivable a few weeks ago to start next season without both Xhaka and Partey. Partey is a fading star and Xhaka will not repeat last seasons form. That said, both of them leaving seems risky from a team chemistry perspective. The landscape changes quickly doesn’t it.