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Who can step up in Partey’s absence in pre-season? (Opinion)

Thomas Partey hasn’t travelled with the squad to Germany, giving other Arsenal stars an opportunity to impress manager Mikel Arteta.

The Ghanaian midfielder’s absence is for reasons unknown at present, but it should give an opportunity for some of our many exciting central midfielders to take a chance to impress the current boss.

We take on Nurnberg in Germany on Friday before heading out to the USA for a pre-season tour, and it will be a great opportunity for the manager to see which (if any) of our younger players are ready to stake a claim for a first-team role.

Charlie Patino is expected to pick up some senior action in the new season, and he would be the obvious pick to stand out in pre-season, but he certainly isn’t alone from the younger squad who is likely to get minutes in pre-season.

Miguel Azeez is likely to get his chance as he did last summer, having impressed 12 months ago before struggling with Portsmouth after suffering an injury early into his time there, with his temporary spell there cut short in January.

Tim Akinola spent the last six months on loan with Dundee United, but only picked up the one senior outing, and returns to the club injured unfortunately, which could mean that James Olayinka or Marcelo Flores could be next in line after the above.

Albert Sambi Lokonga, Mo Elneny and Granit Xhaka are likely to play a part for the senior side of course, while it could also be the first opportunity to see what new signing Marquinhos can bring to the team after joining from Sao Paulo.

Which youngsters are you most keen to see step up and make an impression this summer?

Patrick

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87 Comments

  1. Personally, I would like to see Ainsley Maitland-Niles fill in for Partey, but that seems very unlikely to happen. It’s disappointing because he’s a talented boy and looks so calm and assured on and off the ball, yet can’t seem to hold down a place in the team.

    For what it’s worth I think he should be retained and utilised as cover for Partey or at wing back. But I am not Arteta, so I think we should expect to see Elneny in there doing Elneny things. Lokonga hasn’t convinced me so far but time will tell.

    2. AMN just doesn’t seem to be an ‘interior’ player in anyone’s estimation

      i trust Torreira as a DM more than AMN, as an emergency option i would recall him not AMN

      ideally we sell both and buy a new person entirely because Lokonga and Elneny aren’t enough

      1. Agree. Our form terrible without Thomas and still no one brought in for cover. GX and Mo not nearly enough

    3. Are you serious? He could not even get in the Roma first 11, it’s a shame but he has overstayed his welcome at Arsenal.

    4. My tots too AMN talented yet under use good cover at full back and for partey but seems this season is his last which ever good luck bro

    5. AMN struggles to pass the ball & concentrate regularly. Don’t get why people do not see such MAJOR issues & think he can play CM for a big club.

    6. Maitland Niles wants to play CM and not DM. He also doesn’t want to play as Full back, reason he has been pushing for a move away so he can play in his favorite position.

    7. His challenge is,he is not aggressive enough.He looks unsure of how he position himself.He is a good interceptor of the ball,he just need to put some energy and agency in his game

  2. Regarding the news from yesterday and now this.. Doesn’t look good at the moment.

    At his rate we need 2 midfielders more..

  3. It is what is – perhaps deliberately and therefore perhaps wisely- NOT said about Partey that is the real problem, I contend!
    I assume those in the know can read between the lines of what I write.

      1. HH it would be such a surprise to be able to understand what so many of your posts, such as this one, actually MEAN!

        But hey, thats life with folks who cannot write words that make ANY sense, I suppose!

        IF YOU CARE TO TRY AGAIN AND THIS TIME IN PLAIN ENGLISH, I will gladly reply, once I have an idea of whatever it is you are trying to say to me.

        1. Made perfect sense to me jon
          He’s referring to your accusation of granit and the yellow card gambling article.
          Surely someone with perfect English can grasp what a non English poster writes .
          I did and you called me semi literate .

          2. Thank you Dan. You understood it quickly when Mr English Teacher who posted against Granit could not understand reference to his own post.

            1. But the subject of THIS article is PARTEY and NOT Xhaka. I genuinely had no idea you were referring to Xhaka and my yellow card post from some time ago! How could I be expected to read your mind?

              That is why we use clear, concise and unambiguous English. Or at least I DO!

          3. Gavel is what the judge uses to hit his bench after passing judgement.Now read hh’s post again and see if it makes sense!

    2. Jon fox him not traveling and the club not coming out to state the reasons let’s us with no choice. I do think the same

  4. Is this article pushing towards what’s happened in the last 24 hours or is he actually injured ,because either one then he needs replacing.
    Came here as a world class player and over the last few seasons looks no better than say an Alexandra song ,a few good games and he misses a few ,rinse and repeat .
    Same as Teirney if they cannot play a full season without getting injured they need to be replaced ,simple maths really ,paying players for sitting on the treatment table , while playing the second string hoping the y come back to help the team .

    1. Totally agree with you, we can’t rely on key players with recurrent health problems. We have had enough costly experiences with fragile players.

      1. I agree but both Tierney and Partey had pretty good injury records in other teams ans leagues, parteys was exceptional in fact.

        2. Well, he’s getting older, the climate is better in Spain and the PL is a much more challenging league. I’m focusing solely on the current situation which are influencing on our team selection.

          1. Tierney had just recovered from an injury at Celtic that had been far more serious than what it had been diagnosed to be and he was out for a much longer time than first expected. Partey was a machine at AM and suddenly become a crock at Arsenal.

            It’s not the first time players have become rehabilitation room stalwarts and also lost form when joining Arsenal.

            Used to think it was wengers training/recovering methods but now same under MA. So maybe it’s the water or something..

            Patino is great lokonga I’m not a fan of and Xhaka and elneny are simply not Arsenal quality. Shame is MA thinks differently..

    2. I couldn’t agree more DK – the Song comparison was spot on. I was saying the same about Tierney even before he came – an excellent player with a horrendous injury record even at Celtic. Never knowing if a guy will be fit is not the way to build a successful team.
      Whichever the reason turns out to be with Partey (and unfortunately as no reason has been given by the club when it’s surely best in all other circumstances to say why and remove doubts, I fear the worst) we were just plain unlucky with that one – he hardly missed a game in Spain. It may also explain the sudden urgent interest reported this week we have in two classy midfielders – Onana and Milinkovic-Savic?

      1. Agree guy
        Tierney as missed 97 games in 3 and a half seasons ,I believe 37 before we signed him And he was already injured when he came here .
        Partey for is abit different because like you said he never missed a game before he came here but he either seems to be missing through injury or he goes missing in the games we need him to step up .
        When we sighed him I was so delighted because he was classed as one of the best CMs in world football but I’ve only seen that a handful of times .

        1. Just wondering why arsenal do not do a thorough investigation of the players injury history instead of being hoodwinked into buying hospital patients.

        2. DK about missing 97 games in 3 seasons that’s almost every league game in the time. Unreal that

      1. Partey wasn’t “overrated” or injury prone until he came to Arsenal!
        Does this indicate issues with Arsenal’s training methods, medical treatment and/or rehabiitation?

    5. Good question DK!also,usually most players coming from other leagues tend to bulk up after a year or so in the PL. This is not the case with TP,has he been spending time in the gym or not?

    7. I’m glad you now see this….I said this in an earlier post and I was roasted by you and some fans here….I’m glad you now see what I’m talking about

  6. Partey was supposed to be going on this preseason. It all looking a bit Pete Tong. He was on the list to go.

  8. names:

    Maitland-Niles, Torreira, Luiz, Grillitsch, Laimer, Onana, Doucoure, Fofana, Danilo, Tielemans, Milinkovic-Savic, De Jong, Neves

  9. Loosing Cheick Doucoure to Crystal Palace was a disaster. He’d have been the best deputy to Partey on a defensive midfield role. We don’t have any body now. We lost the first three games of the season because he was not involved. We also lost the champions league spot at the end because of his absence.

    1. well that was a factor, but we couldn’t score. I think that was the main reason we lost down the stretch.

    2. We’re we in for him last time I checked we were only mentioned when he was confirmed at Palace. Don’t believe the media rhetoric we all know there’s an agenda set

  11. This is where Bissouma was supposed to come in. AMN is defensively very good and should be used as a DM.

    1. @Kev
      Come on now.
      So Bisssouma? Another guy that was under the same allegation?

      So imagine we got him and now this Partey thing happened. What an embarrassment would that have been for the club and us the supporters.

  13. We will not see Partey play for us again.
    The only issue is how do we get him off the payroll.

    2. Google what Man City did with Mendy and you’ll be able to post with an educated mind, that is if the allegations are true, until then any financial ramifications are speculative and any actions taken by the club will be with more information than we have.

  14. Its not looking for Partey. Fingers crossed it isn’t him. All Arsenal need to do is 3xplain why he isn’t in Germany. An injury or something.

  16. Isn’t this a job for Elneny or Lokonga?

    Of course, if we had got Bissouma this question would not have been asked.

    Maybe If Edu had extracted his digit, we might have been able to play Martinez (from Ajax) in that role.

    Let’s hope this game in Nurnburg is not too much of a trial for Arteta!!

  18. Qualify the above. The practice games are meaningless except from a fitness perspective, but long term Arsenal have some headaches if Partey is unavailable.

  19. Ì must commend all gooners on the level ofmaturity on display shown around Partey absence.

    Hope his inclusion resolves quickly as am selfish loves football maybe a little too much and want to see him play.

  20. I want Nelson to stay but I don’t know if the coach thinks the same.

    The kid had a good season reaching final of conference he deserves to play

  21. We have our own Bissouma now..
    And it’s even worse for us as 2 more women have also come out and accused him of the same thing..

    We now need another 2 midfielders..

    🤦‍♂️

    1. Bissouma has been cleared of all allegations, was involving somebody else in a nightclub, this is far, far more serious

  22. I think it’s time we accepted the painful reality. Thanks for the memories Partey but it’s time to say goodbye. Now let’s move for Ndidi or MSM and also Tielemans to replace Partey and Xhaka. The good thing is this disaster has happened early so there is still time to fix it and not ruin our season.

  23. This is baaad, you guys. If he stayed in London, I think we all can assume exactly why and if so, Edu and Arteta would have to go after both Milinković-Savić and Lisandro/Tielemans.

    This is the worst news we could l get. The Greenwood injuries are career-ending ones.

  24. I actually find it a bit sad that our midfield is not really above last seasons in strength. It is great that Patino and Salah and Lokonga may get a chance to shine, but to see the same old song being repeated, Xhaka/Elneny, is discouraging to me. Shame that our new midfield signings are not signed and ready to bond during pre-season. Hopefully two of Tielemans/Savic/Martinez will be on our books URGENTLY (we know why) very soon and can join the pre-season. If we want to start challenging for the EPL it won’t happen during the Xhaka/Elneny years. We just do not have a good enough midfield for a challenge. Hopefully we can still try to sign Ivan Toney or similar, otherwise we will only have Plan A and no Plan B football AGAIN.

    1. Sean, considering the quality of powerful midfielders I have seen playing for Arsenal, starting with Ray Simpson, I am sick and tired of seeing Arsenal bullied and overrun in midfield in the EPL, let alone Europe. The midfield is the “engine room” of the team, yet Arsenal continues to neglect bringing in strength in tackling and ball winning ability and powerful running and long passing in progressing the ball upfield.

  25. BTW AMN IS TDB (a canines testes:)

    Anyone who knows football can see that ⚽️ ⚽️

  26. Reality is reality and he’s not playing for us again. Need to think about replacements immediately. Pull out of the ridiculous Lisandro race and find a cheaper LB alternative. We were really about to spend 40mill+ on a CB/pseudo LB and I dont think thats money wisely spent. Get a real LB, loan Tavares if Mikel doesn’t want him, and just use one of the right footed CB’s we have as Gabriel backup. So unlikely we’ll find someone as quality as partey just within this summer, but hopefully we can find someone who will stay fit and still be good enough to fit into our XI. DM/CM/ Winger/ LB should be our target positions now.

  27. The frustrating thing for me is that we end up short in central midfield and full back while a guy who can do those jobs is off on loan helping a pillock like maureen. AMN is better than Tavares or Soares.

    1. Maitland-Niles is named as a midfielder on the .com where he retains his number 15 shirt. He’s available, but who knows if ready to play.

  30. It’s often said that White can play DM. Not convinced (in fact think it’s unlikely) but no better time to have a look than pre-season. If it is successful then opens up CB starting role for Saliba if he’s ready.

  31. I’ve heard it’s Ben Davies but until the truth comes out it’s all pure speculation!

  32. 29……didn’t travel with the team and still in London …….hopefully not Partey…

    1. It also said in papers that player was due to travel on clubs pre season tour next week well Arsenal are already in Germany I believe Spurs are going to Asia next week!!!

  33. Realistically I think this is the end of the Maftinez chase, finances are needed elsewhere, it’ll be Grimaldo. The youngsters are too young and inexperienced, but could likely be used as cup players. We need to get Tielemans through the door ASAP now, best value to quality out there, then I’d like to see Onana, SMS is out on cost.

    AMN is likely to stay now and get his wish playing in midfield.

  34. I do not understand….at all….why we have not signed Youri Tielemans. Spurs got Bissouma in no time at all. This lack of energy in getting players we need can easily backfire. We most CERTAINLY need a midfield player and Tielemans represents a good value signing. He is 25, with about 6 years of top level playing time ahead of him. Edu will shoot himself in the foot and harm the team if he just ‘ligs’ around.

  35. If we are force dto use Elneny, Xhaka or any other of the unsaleable deadwood in any other than very occasion bit parts, this coming season , then we have no realistic chance of improvement at all!
    I HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY ANTI XHAKA FROM HIS VERY START AND AM DISMAYED THAT THIS MAN STILL FEATURES IN OUR TEAM AS A REGULAR!
    I simply cannot understand why an immobile, hotheaded tortoise is considered by a minority, INCLUDING MA to be any use at all.

    1. Let’s support the manager and his selections shall we? Why being negative on our own players? Where is the support?

    2. Jon, Elneny is not an unsaleable deadwood as you so nicely put it,he’s had several offers but they were all turned down by MA.also,we all know that Mo is a squad player and not an assured started,like it or not we need players like him to make a full squad,you can’t expect us to have 20 WC players or do you?lastly,I’m pretty sure that Mo will be very useful during the coming season.

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