Not Smith Rowe: £45m Arsenal player suddenly becomes a shock candidate to be sold, Arteta could push him out
Arsenal could now reportedly sell Thomas Partey in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Gunners are expected to be very active this summer. All eyes will be on incomings, but there are quite a few players Mikel Arteta could offload as well in the coming weeks.
The Daily Mail now suggest that Partey, who was magnificent for most parts of the season, could be one of them.
Arsenal could sell Thomas Partey this summer
Arsenal signed Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid for £45 million in the summer of 2020 (BBC).
The Ghanaian was then viewed as the best midfielder the Gunners had signed since Patrick Vieira over two decades ago, and he had all the characteristics to emulate the legendary Frenchman.
However, injuries were a real issue for Partey in his first two seasons at the club. He missed 33 games in all competitions in those two campaigns, which was a real shame.
Partey has had much better luck this time around. Fitness issues only kept him out for four games this season, and his performances for the Gunners right up until the end of March were magnificent.
However, the 29-year-old’s form dipped in April, and Mikel Arteta dropped him in the games against Chelsea, Newcastle and Brighton. He ended the season in an unorthodox right-back role, and that may well be the end of his Arsenal career.
The report claims that Arsenal are looking to raise funds to pursue their big targets this summer, and along with Granit Xhaka, Kieran Tierney and Rob Holding, Partey could be sold too before the start of next season.
Our View:
This would be a huge shock.
Arsenal are already short of options in the middle of the park, and Granit Xhaka’s imminent departure leaves them even more light in the heart of the midfield
Yes, the Gunners are expected to bring in two new midfielders – ideally Declan Rice and Moises Caiceco – but getting rid of an experienced player like Partey ahead of their first season back in the Champions League feels risky
If it was up to us, we would keep Partey, but the report claims there’s a chance he could be gone in the coming weeks.
