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.

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2. Physicality

In the lone six role, Thomas has thrived with Saliba behind him as the team plays a high line and squashes the opposition into their defensive third. Without Saliba, Partey has struggled with the distances he is required to cover and hasn’t looked comfortable being asked to tweak his role sightly.

Injuries could well have taken their toll on his body. He now looks like a stiff mover and struggles going back to front when defending and is much more comfortable covering the ground from side to side, where he can use his strength to win the ball and redistribute with ease.

That has been a big strength for Arsenal this season when they have been playing well, but when the team has an off day and has to do more defensive running and get involved in a scrap, Partey hasn’t been at his best.

Again, this is an area where Rice can offer an upgrade. For England and West Ham, he thrives in teams that have to cover a lot of ground, and his engine doesn’t stop. He embraces the physical side and is a powerful runner with and without the ball.

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3. Age isn’t on his side

Partey’s experience is a huge reason why he has been able to play the six role so well, with his calm, composed style enabling Arsenal to play through the press and cut teams open with ease.

However, he turns 30 next month, which wouldn’t be a problem for most, but those injuries will likely become more persistent, and it will naturally get more difficult to get up and down in a robust nature as he gets on in years.

Against City, that running power was evident, as City overloaded Arsenal in the middle and Partey struggled with his recovery runs, letting Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland run away from him too easily on multiple occasions.

Whether this means Partey should be sold is another matter. Arsenal will need quality that they can rotate. Gone are the days of one player per position, and having him in the squad would be highly valuable to Arsenal. After all, he is a huge reason why they are top of the Premier League.