3 reasons Arsenal should move on from Thomas Partey

Earlier this season, Mikel Arteta said that Arsenal are at phase three of five of his project, and the most obvious additions to move to stage four look like they will come in midfield, which could spell bad news for Thomas Partey.

The Ghanaian has been a rock in the number six position for Arsenal this season, but his form has taken a nose dive for multiple reasons at the business end of the season.

With Declan Rice being a key target, it may signal the end of him as an undisputed starter at the club.

Three reasons Arsenal should move on from Thomas Partey

1. His injury record keeps costing the team

During his three seasons at Arsenal, Partey has missed 39 games due to injury, and it was the thigh injury that he picked up in April last year that caused the most damage to Arteta’s ambitions.

The injury came in Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace and had a costly impact as the team suffered two successive defeats to Brighton and Southampton. Despite recovering and getting themselves back into the driving seat, Arsenal lacked the quality when it really mattered, as Partey missed a total of ten games during the run-in.

Those problems have persisted this season, with seven games missed through injury. However, it was the games he missed that hit Arsenal hard. Thigh problems early in the season kept him out for three weeks, meaning he missed the defeat at Old Trafford, but more agonisingly for Arsenal, he was ruled out on the day of the City game at home.

By contrast, Declan Rice has missed one West Ham game since breaking into the team, and that was through illness. If Arsenal are going to reach the next level, they need players who can be relied on week in, week out.

Continued on the next slide…