Is it time to drop Thomas Partey and maybe let him go? by Shenel
I know this article will probably be controversial and raise eyebrows as I am sure a lot of my articles do, but here are my thoughts!
So, before last weekend‘s game against Spurs I was about to write an article on Thomas Partey and how it may be time that we looked into getting rid of him, but after his performance against Spurs it made me rethink things, although right now I am on the fence.
I thought this because he is slowly becoming one of those players that we just cannot seem to rely on, having been rather injury prone since his arrival.
And I initially thought to write the article based solely on how injury prone he has been since he has been at Arsenal, and how we know that he cannot go a whole season without being injured for a number of games.
Now, I hope that upon writing this article things change, in the way that he begins to be injury free and performing more like he did against Spurs, where he can get a number of games under his belt.
However, as we know with injuries and especially when it comes to Partey, he is not the best at staying fit and going through a run of games for us, as there is always some sort of niggling injury that he has. With where the club is now, and where they are looking to get to, we really need our players fit and firing as much as they can.
Right now, everything is good and looking rosy at our club as we sit pretty at the top of the table. It seems that confidence is high and the connection between the players and the fans and the club is at the best it’s been in a long long time, however we still have a World Cup to come, we still have the Europa league to play, as well as the FA Cup and Carabao Cup
And I’m not saying we can’t do it because you always have to remain positive, however as nice as it was to see Partey in the team on Saturday helping to boss the midfield, scoring a goal and helping lead us to a win and three points, is it wrong of me to believe we cannot rely on him to be that one constant we need in the team?
We obviously saw something in Partey to make us go after him and try to take him from Atletico Madrid, but and correct me if im wrong, which im sure some people will try to do, I do not recall Partey ever being this injury-prone when he was in Spain so why now?
And as nice as it is to see him have one good game so far, I cannot stop thinking about the fact that we just don’t know if he’s going to turn up for the next game or not, because of how injury prone he is, and as nice as it would be to sit here and say he’s not going to get injured I am sure he will, although I hope he proves me wrong.
Maybe my comments on getting rid of him is a bit harsh, but we should definitely go out there and get a replacement for him because it is better to be safe then sorry. If it happens that Partey remains injury free then competition for that place will be rife and may even push him to be better than we already know he is!
Gooners what do you think about Partey and his injuries?
Shenel Osman
@sh3n3l_
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I don’t think there’s anyone better than Partey in the EPL when he’s fit. For me the Guy is world class and because of his injuries he’s a bit underrated.
Keep him at all costs and get an equal backup. Every team in the world has that guy that is injury prone but is always the difference when fit.
For me if he plays around 70% of the matches this season surely we are going places.
I fully agree with your comments. No one else is as good as a fit Partey in Holding Midfield.
Ndidi is better. Hell, even Rodri, Kante, Fabinho are all arguably better.
Kante when he’s fit he’s better, but the rest can’t compete with Partey when he’s fit.
I agree with the sentiment that we need someone to compete with him and/or rotate him. Sambi compete with Xhaka in my view as he can be effective as box to box, not as holding Midfield…
I see Kante as a fundamentally different type of player. He hunts the ball down and goes with it up the pitch – more like how xhaka is playing now in terms of his role in a team. I don’t know that Kante has ever really been a midfield anchor.
I see Partey’s role in this side as more like makelele – he’s not as good at the defensive side (although still more than good enough), but probably is similarly talented with the ball at his feet
Fallacy
Are you talking in the present or are you talking in the future. We will get a back up but 1st we have to check why he is so injury prone with us.
Does he perhaps need a different type of training.
At Atletico Madrid he was always there most of the time so what has changed?
We can’t continue taking Chelsea rejects. Kante is a no however l agree with u on Rodri and Fabinho maybe we can also include Luiz of Villa
Yes, we need to look for someone who possesses Partey’s abilities as a deep-midfield anchor. I wish the coaches can groom one of our promising midfielders into a good CDM, such as Sambi-Lokonga and Akinola
Fully Agree
Partey is not good. He’s elite. One of the most underrated players in the premier league.
We probably would have won with him against ManUtd.
An anchoring midfielder who distributes better than most 8s or 10s. Comparing him to enforcers like Kante?
Do you guys réalise how progressive he is with his passing? How low his turnover stats are?
Every time he’s on the pitch, the team has a different dimension.
Yes he’s injury prone and a backup is needed in January
Well said Oyama
I couldn’t agree more.
You are spot on with your submission
As you state towards the end of your article Shenel, we should not consider replacing Partey until we have an adequate replacement, and right now there is not even a glimmer of a decent alternative from within the squad or from outside.
Partey will have to see us through this season at least and I’m sure Arteta & Edu will have the situation as a priority from then forwards.
Partey is crucial to our season our win percentage is so high compared to when his missing, his injury record at Arsenal is poor but the guy when on it like Saturday is world class and to talk of selling him is ridiculous.
The guy has just started to play as we hoped. sure the injuries are annoying, but because of this he would also unlikely attract a high fee. in addition he will be 30 soon and is on v high wages – which will make him even harder to shift for a decent sum. Therefore we may as well keep him (and will probably have to) for the next couple years of his contract and sign a capable replacement meanwhile – as we need 2 capable players in each position anyway.
To be honest the latter part of your article is where really makes sense, the solution is quite simple get a proper back up for him because replacing him is almost impossible.
Right now the only Holding Midfielders that come close to his talent and ability is Rodri and Tchoumeni both of which are impossible to get, except Pep decides to do MA another solid.
Great when he is fit and turns up, but there’s the rub. Suggest we keep him and get a clone alongside, to cover us for when injured, note, a clone, not an understudy
Totally awesome but I watched that game of millan & Chelsea
Why the board can’t fork out that cash and bring Ismael Bannecar back home as a partner to Teye 😋😋that guy is a baller💥💥💯💯
“I I do not recall Partey ever being this injury-prone when he was in Spain so why now?”… Injuries don’t have timing, choice or are limited to individuals. Just like death they happen and that is it. It is like going to a funeral and stating you don’t recall the dead person ever being dead in his younger years. Get off that horse. What are you suggesting? What of Shaka who is never injured?
Partey is staying but cover for him is a problem
Sambi Lokonga probably has this season to show he can do it if not he needs to be replaced.
I don’t think we necessarily need or have to get rid of him. We should,however, get a player,preferably younger,with a similar skillset. Having a capable player with similar ability will lessen our over-reliance on him while also ensuring we have two very good players. In addition,they can share minutes thereby reducing injuries caused by wear and fatigue.
Sorry but Partey is fundamental to our title challenge and I doubt you could find even in the next 2-3 seasons, anyone who comes close to his complete skillset of ball retention and carrying, press resistance, btb coverage, passing and offensive thinking, and now…goal scoring! He’s a unique player even if he plays only 20 games a season. At AM he rarely played more than 60-70 minutes a game and it’s a slower league. If we play him longer you see his performance drops every game and that’s when he’s most at risk – he’s a big guy. He should only play once a week and for an hour each time REGARDLESS of the match situation. The more I see the more I think Sambi will never be the answer – it’s like watching Bambi running backwards. So we need to find possibly someone not as defensive as Partey but still press resistant and forward thinking to bring in. With Saliba and Gabriel at the back a defensive midfielder is not as critical as it was.
A fit Thomas Partey is as important as having Gabriel Jesus fit and playing. How the heck could you/would you think of selling him? He is the most important player in the team and when playing dominates the central midfield. Unspectacular but dominant. We desperately need ‘like for like’ cover for him. Lets hope he can stay fit till the new window comes and we get another ‘bossing’ midfield player.
Totally agree Sean – especially alongside Xhaka. Since 20/21 we have won 16 and lost 4 (2 vs Liv/MC) when they both play. I’d keep him even if he managed only 10 games a season!
Drop Thomas Partey … and let him go?
Only if you want Arsenal to ruin a season which has begun in such fantastic fashion! Only if you want the team to fall apart!
“And as nice as it is to see him have one good game so far … ”
Who have you been watching all season? Partey has started 5 PL matches, and he has been excellent in every single one of them!
Had he been fit for the Man Utd match, we don’t lose that one. I promise you.
You’ll suggest we get rid of ESR next … or Tierney.
What a ridiculous notion!
Players can’t help it when they get injured. It doesn’t mean they should be kicked out of the club.
Xhaka’s form is because of Partey. Much of everything good our team has been doing stems from Partey’s presence.
Yes, he’s been a bit unlucky with injuries … but go and have a look at Arsenal’s win percentage when he starts, and then at when he doesn’t.
We do need a backup option for him, especially since Elneny’s long-term injury, which is why we tried to sign Luiz … but we can’t drop Partey or get rid of him.
Sorry mate but it’s a ridiculous excuse for an article. It makes no sense.
P.S. Who do you suggest we sign as a replacement? Who is good enough besides Rodri/Tchouameni?
“Injury prone” is too loose a term. It implies something Wilshere-like, where he gets different injuries frequently, but my understanding with Partey is that it’s the same injury that keeps recurring.
Things like that can be career-ending, but hopefully this will clear up with careful management. Only those inside the club can know which it is and I’m sure they will act accordingly.
Either way, cover for him is needed. Again, only the insiders know if that’s expected to be a fully-matured Lokonga or if there’s a need to buy someone like Luiz… or someone else, maybe even an academy player coming through quickly.
Bring Danilo in as his cover in January.
Our top 4 hopes will vanish if Partey gets injured for long as was the case last campagn. If he keeps fit for the most of the 10 games left for the first round while giving us time to bring in a cover in January, then we could hope for top 4.
Without him our defense suddenly becomes culnerable and concedes goals such as happened in the Man U encounter
Simply stated, I think people who have the urge to write articles, but not the intelligence to properly marshal their thoughts first , should refrain from the urge to write.
At least until they have a little more life and football knowledge
Oh my! Judge @Jon is rowing in with his usual negativity.
Are you saying Shenel was the only one who thought we needed a new midfielder to cover for Partey in the summer? How many have pointed out his unreliability. I.E. He has only ever played 9 games in a row and missed half the games in each of his two seasons.
I think older (wiser???) folk should make allowances and ENCOURAGE young writers…
In my opinion, Shenel has improved immensely in the time she has been writing on here.
Atimes… You don’t act like an oldie, cuz your comments are very cheap and immature.
Wow…what an eloquent insult…but true!
If you sell him, you have to get two guys.
If you keep him, you only have to get one.
pretty simple.
I don’t know which idiot wrote this article, but my goodness what a stupid proposal!!!!
What NEEDS to happen is, we should have bought a Bissouma type of player in the summer as a back-up for when Partey is injured.
Arteta’s stated objective was to have cover for every position.
He still needs a right winger as back up for Saka, he needs a back-up for Xhaka, and the said back-up for Partey. I do not see Lokonga or Elneny as a long term replacement for either of these two!!
We also need another goalscorer for when Jesus and Eddie are both out.
Eddie will play in the early Cup and European games, but if Jesus is injured or gets his 5 yellow cards, we only have Eddie as a substitute for him in the EPL, and that may not be enough.
So, in the January window, I suggest we need to find a top class:
back up for Partey
back up for Xhaka
back-up for Saka
goalscorer as cover for Jesus and Eddie.
I would also hope that we don’t try to buy cheap and cheerful from the salvation Army store.
Sadly I suspect that we will be lucky to get just one of those. But I would vote for a back-up for Partey as first choice.
Just my two cents worth
I would argue Arteta does have cover for every position:
Ramsdale + Turner
Tomiyasu + Cedric
Saliba + White
Gabriel + Holding
Zinchenko + Tierney
Partey + Elneny/Lokonga
Xhaka + Smith-Rowe/Lokonga
Martinelli + Smith-Rowe/Vieira
Odegaard + Vieira/Smith-Rowe
Saka + Nelson/Marquinhos
Jesus + Nketiah
It’s Elneny’s long-term injury which makes us look particularly light at DM.
However, we do have both Zinchenko and White who can slot into DM roles.
Elneny is not the long-term replacement, of course not. And you’re right, Lokonga might not be … though he might replace Xhaka in 2 seasons.
But Elneny was supposed to cover THIS season, and we would have signed another DM.
Also, Bissouma cant even get into the Spuds side. I read somewhere Conte thinks he lacks tactical discipline so I believe that’s why Arteta did not waste 25 mill on him.
I think ESR + Vieira + Lokonga + Odegaard can all fill in for Xhaka if and when required.
How would you acommodate a third striker?
Nketiah barely gets the time he needs to play. Balogun was loaned out so we do not hamper his development.
Any 3rd striker worth having would soon begin grumbling about lack of game time, and ruin the mood in the dressing room.
I believe Martinelli is adequate cover in the extremely unfortunate circumstance where we lose both Jesus + Nketiah.
You would have us buy 4 top-class players … in the January window … after the 150 mill spend in the summer … and then … what exactly?
Have 4 top class players warm the bench, waiting for the day one of our starters gets injured?
Have them destroy the atmosphere it has taken so long to create? The team’s bond, the unity and cohesiveness, the desire to fight for each other and to win together?
The connection with the fans?
If we sign only Luiz from Villa in January, it wont be sad or lucky but the smart and wise thing to do.
You are a rival fan posing as someone who cares about Arsenal FC. What a shameful article. It’s taken AFC about 15years to get a world class operator like T.P, someone who comes even close to the legendary Patrick Viera in terms of abilities and influence in the team. Look at where Arsenal are as a team competing with the big boys with him in the squad. Whether he’s injured or not, selling him is 110% not the answer, finding and giving him specialist medical care to treat and manage his recurring injury is. Thomas Partey is absolute world class, walks into any team in the world in my opinion, in his #6 position and not just in the EPL, think about that R.Madrid, Liverpool, B.Munich ,M.City ,etc just think about that for a second. The holding midfield role is an extremely specialist role and therefore susceptible to niggling injuries think Kante, Ndidi, Pogba to an extent the list goes on.
To even state that he’s only had one good game so far is a joke in itself which suggests to me that you don’t watch the games and you have an agenda and for that reason this senseless article. Since pre-season Arsenal haven’t lost a single game with him in the side, always in beast mode. We need to get a proper cover for him when he’s not on the pitch not sell him. We should be pushing for him to finish his career here at Arsenal, we need to support him and all our other excellent players not dispose of them .By the way you will be spending close to 150million. to find someone even remotely close in terms of abilities in the current market think Declan Rice The one excellent player who makes our defence resilient and better, midfield unbreakable at the same time propelling our attack in a scary way and you are advocating we sell him ? You must be joking just get out of here with this senseless article because you don’t know ball. By the way he single handely destroyed the spuds ,hand in all three goals scored
We rarely lose with Partey. Last season the loses started after his injury. We need to buy in January so that Partey can be given some rest.