“I know I’m a very crucial part of Arteta’s plan but my days at Arsenal has come to an end, I’m sorry Arsenal fans”- Arsenal star Thomas Partey confirms he has reached agreement with Mikel Arteta to take a ‘drastic’ action after he got himself injured AGAIN ahead of Chelsea clash next weekend
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that both Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu have not returned to training ahead of Thursday night’s clash with West Ham.
Rumours had circulated that Partey had returned to training and was in contention to make his first Premier League appearance since their 1-0 victory against Man City on October 8.
Arteta, though, has ruled both players out for their home clash with the Hammers, where a win will send them top of the Premier League going into 2024.
There is also uncertainty whether the pair will feature for the Gunners before they are due to go away on international duty next month.
Partey is expected to feature at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana, while Tomiyasu is due to go away with Japan for the Asian Cup.
Discussing team news ahead of Thursday’s match, Arteta said: ‘We’re not going to have those two (Partey and Tomiyasu), then we have the suspension of Kai [Havertz], so I think we’re gonna have five out, but we have lots of other players willing to play.’
Addressing whether Partey and Tomiyasu will return before international duty, Arteta said: ‘There is a chance. We’ll have to see. They haven’t trained yet but hopefully they can evolve in the right way.’
Ghana and Japan get their respective Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup campaigns underway on January 14.
In that time, the Gunners play West Ham on Thursday, Fulham on New Year’s Eve and Liverpool in a third round FA Cup tie on January 7.
Should Ghana and Japan reach their respective finals, Partey and Tomiyasu would miss at least four games for the Gunners – including a Premier League clash with Liverpool at the Emirates on February 4.
There is still some uncertainty as to when Partey and Tomiyasu would go away with their countries to prepare for the tournament.
Arteta said: ‘There is some talks between the clubs and federations. We haven’t decided when is best.’
Partey has already missed most of the season for the Gunners, only making five appearances so far this campaign.
There has been speculation he could move on in an upcoming window following Declan Rice’s blockbuster arrival at Arsenal.
Tomiyasu meanwhile has missed Arsenal’s last four Premier League games with a calf injury.
