The 30-year-old joined the Gunners from Atletico Madrid, a prominent La Liga club, in October 2020 for a transfer fee of £45m. Since then, he has made 104 appearances for Arsenal in England.
However, Partey has faced significant limitations in terms of playing time this season due to various injury concerns. His last appearance for Mikel Arteta’s team dates back to October.
The Ghana international has been struggling with a long-term thigh injury, resulting in him only playing four Premier League matches this season and participating in just 251 minutes of top-flight football.
According to The Mirror, Arsenal is now considering allowing Partey to leave North London at the end of the current term, even though his contract is not set to expire in the summer.
The report suggests that the Gunners are becoming increasingly frustrated with the midfielder’s ongoing injury problems, which have caused him to miss the majority of the campaign so far. It is believed that Arteta was initially open to the idea of Partey leaving during the summer transfer window, as he believed he had enough options in the midfield department.
The summer transfer window saw the North Londoners make significant changes to their midfield, acquiring Declan Rice from West Ham United and Kai Havertz from Chelsea.
Despite Arsenal’s efforts to find suitable offers for Partey, they were unable to secure a move for the 30-year-old, resulting in him remaining at the club and spending a considerable amount of time in the medical room this season.
Juventus had shown interest in signing Partey during the January transfer window, but ultimately decided against it due to concerns about his injury history. However, there is a possibility that the Serie A giants may revisit their interest in the summer, especially if Partey becomes a Premier League champion under the guidance of Arteta.
Following a crucial 3-1 victory over league leaders Liverpool, Arsenal now find themselves just two points behind Jurgen Klopp’s side. It was initially anticipated that Partey would make his return to the team this month after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. However, Arteta recently provided an update on the Ghanaian’s condition ahead of the Liverpool match, which raised concerns about his availability.
Arsenal manager Arteta expressed his disappointment regarding Thomas (Partey)’s recent setback, stating, “Regrettably, we encountered a minor setback with Thomas a few days ago.” Arteta clarified that he is not a medical professional, but Thomas experienced discomfort in a similar region and was unable to participate in training over the past few days.
