Arsenal dealt blow as star midfielder asks to leave in January

Thomas Partey, when fit, is undoubtedly one of Arsenal’s most gifted midfielders. However, since signing for the Gunners on transfer deadline day of 2020, he has only played in less than half of the Premier League giants’ fixtures due to persistent injuries. Now, teams are beginning to circle around the unsettled player.

Partey was linked with a move away from the club last summer, with interest emanating from various La Liga, Serie A, and Saudi Pro League sides. At one point, the Ghanian was valued as highly as €40m. Inevitably, Arsenal decided to hold on to their dynamic central midfielder and had hoped he could contribute to their 2023/24 campaign.

Unfortunately for both Arsenal and Partey, this hasn’t quite been the case. Partey, suffering from a muscular injury, missed the entirety of September and now, due to a new injury suffered in training, looks to be out for the rest of the calendar year.

This recently accrued injury crisis for Thomas Partey since joining Arsenal has undoubtedly been frustrating, and recent reports have surfaced regarding him becoming “increasingly dissatisfied” with his playing time at the club.

Now, it’s all come to a head as reports from TuttoSport in Italy, reiterated by Sky Sports, have suggested that the Gunners’ star man has informed the club that he wants to pursue other ventures in the January transfer window.

According to the article from TuttoSport, Juventus are monitoring the situation, but Partey is currently “stalling” in order to assess interest from other Premier League or La Liga sides.

Another inhibitor to a potential deal with Juventus is finances – the Italian side has been struggling with cash flow for multiple years since the beginning of the pandemic – thus, any deal for Partey would likely have to involve a loan with an option or obligation to buy.

This also presents a roadblock for Arsenal, who spent £208m this summer and have already had to negotiate a loan deal for goalkeeper David Raya from Brentford in order to comply with Financial Fair Play rules. If Arsenal are to have Partey leave in January, they will most likely need to sell him for a flat fee so that they may adequately replace him.

As for potential replacements, Bruno Andrade of UOL Esporte, a journalist well-connected with Brazilian players, reports that while Arsenal are still interested in Fluminese’s André, they have turned their attention to Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz as Fulham seem to be leading the race for the former.