With Granit Xhaka leaving, one may ask, “What happens to Thomas Partey?” Partey may find himself deputising for Caicedo. Many may want the Arsenal No. 5 to start and the Brighton man to deputise him. But unquestionably, if Arteta wants Caicedo, he sees him as a starter for his project. Partey has done his part in getting Arsenal where they are. Notably, Chris Wheatley notes the 29-year-old is not “untouchable”, as he insinuates Arteta is willing to sanction his sale, a sale to which some Gooners won’t object.
“Well, we’ve spoken a lot about the midfield area; that is certainly an area Arsenal will want to strengthen. The futures of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka are a little bit uncertain; Xhaka has been linked back to Germany; Partey, his form has been under pressure in the past few weeks; that’s why Jorginho has come in,” Wheatley revealed to the National World YouTube channel.
“A few Arsenal fans have suggested Partey could be on his way out; I’ve not heard that line yet, but he is in his late 20s.
“Arsenal will need to let one midfielder go this summer; it could be Xhaka and it could be Partey.”
With Caicedo and Rice joining, would you, if you were Arteta, sanction Partey’s sale? It may be hard to let him go. But the 29-year-old could bring in millions that could be added to the summer transfer budget.