3. Wage demands

As negotiations over a new deal for Partey dragged on, reports began to emerge he was refusing to lower his wage demands and in fact wanted a pay rise if he was to put pen to paper.
That was something Arsenal were not willing to facilitate as they were only going to offer a continuation of his current £200,000 salary. That ended up being a key factor in talks breaking down and not coming to an agreement.
It's hard to disagree with Arsenal not wanting to pay Partey more than he already earns. He was set to be a backup next season and potentially an unreliable one for fitness, meaning they would've been paying out a hefty chunk of money for a player who may not have deserved it.