Should Thomas Partey come straight back in for Jorginho?

Arsenal visit a Leicester City side coming off a 3-0 belting at the hands of Manchester United, with Mikel Arteta facing a crucial decision regarding his starting XI.

Thomas Partey is nearing full fitness after the Ghanian missed the sides trip to Aston Villa, but Jorginho stepped in and put forth a superb performance.

This gives Mikel Arteta a selection headache… of sorts.

As the fixtures pile up for the Gunners, will Arteta and the selection committee rush Partey back into the starting side for Saturday’s game?

Should Thomas Partey come straight back in for Jorginho?

That decision might have been made for them in injury time against Villa as Jorginho’s thumping effort rattled the crossbar before bouncing in off Emiliano Martinez to steal a vital three points.

Since arriving from Atletico Madrid, Partey’s importance to this Arsenal side has been immeasurable.

When he is in the team, the Gunners are a different beast as they control the midfield area, and everything seems to click.

But…

When not in the side, Arsenal look like a shell of themselves, and the Ghanaian’s absence is typically harshly felt. While the Gunners claimed victory at Villa Park, their performance left plenty to be desired in periods.

Having been ruled out with injury, the Gunners fans were nervous at the prospect of having no Partey in a side that had just succumbed to Manchester City and was on a three-game winless run.

Enter Jorginho.

That was the exact reason why Arteta signed the former Chelsea man: to slot in and provide cover and depth when needed. Except, he did more than cover. He played a starring role from his midfield position. He stopped various Villa attacks, positioned himself well, and sprayed progressive passes around the ground.

Oh, his thunderbolt of a shot capped off a sensational display from the Italian.

This leads us to if Arteta ‘needs’ to put Partey into the starting side against the Foxes.

Conventional wisdom would suggest yes, such is his importance. But in Jorginho, who is in form, Arsenal have a more than capable deputy. Judging by his efforts against Villa and even City a week ago, the Italian can somewhat make up for Partey’s absence.

Does that mean an extra week of rest and rehab for Partey? Likely, but it could also mean a spot on the bench for Arteta to ease him back into action.

With still 15 league games plus the Europa League to come, Arsenal will need every player for the run-in, and with Partey, they can ill-afford to lose him for an extended period.

Luckily, Jorginho has proven to be the buffer between rushing Partey back and allowing recovery time.

Against Leicester, if the Ghanian is anything less than 100% fit, the Italian needs to get the call once again.