Arsenal are not planning to sell Thomas Partey in January, as the key midfielder could be offered a new contract.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have no plans to part ways with Thomas Partey ahead of the January window. In fact, reports have been suggesting a new contract for the Ghanaian midfielder, as Mikel Arteta considers the £45 million mainstay a key component of his squad.
Despite all the criticisms surrounding Thomas Partey, Mikel Arteta has consistently picked him to start all games when fit. The midfielder has struggled with injuries since his £45 million move from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2020. Last season, he missed a massive chunk of games and only returned for the final few matches of the campaign.
He underwent surgery to resolve his niggling injury problems and has consistently progressed with his fitness. Against PSG, he put in a key shift, as well as during the crunch period earlier when Arsenal played a host of tough away games against Aston Villa, Tottenham, Atalanta, and Manchester City.
As things stand, Arteta will continue to pick Partey in his midfield setup alongside Rice, meaning there’s a lot of value placed on the £45 million mainstay. There were reports that Arsenal were planning to offload him and Jorginho by next summer, with their respective contracts expiring in under a year.
A few Serie A giants were interested, while there are ongoing links with some of the Saudi Pro League sides. Fabrizio Romano has now suggested Arsenal have no plans to sell Partey in January, although he insisted no decision had been made on his contract situation yet.
Romano said, “Another player I expect to stay at his club at least until the end of the season is Thomas Partey. There are no movements planned for January. For the summer, we will see; no decision has been made yet on his contract situation, but I’m not aware of any contact with Atletico or Barca for the January window.”
New contract for Partey?
Some reports from the end of September pointed at a new contract for Partey, and there are stories about a new two-year deal doing the rounds. Arteta’s comments ahead of the Southampton game indicated that the Ghanaian international was back to optimum fitness and that it would be in the club’s best interest to offer him an extension.
A new deal does not necessarily mean he will stay here for the duration of that contract. Instead, it allows Arsenal to retain his value in the market. Hence, if they do decide to cash in on him next summer or even a year later, they could get a good bit of money in exchange rather than letting him leave for free in under a year.
