Arsenal are ready to move on from defensive midfielder Thomas Partey this summer, parting ways with a player who, quite frankly, they should have given the axe to long ago.
Partey simply doesn’t have the technical quality on the ball or the chance-creation fitting of an Arsenal-level starter in midfield, because Arsenal aspire to compete for the Champions League title – not just the Premier League title.
Declan Rice has given Arsenal a truly world-class anchoring midfield option, but the Gunners should go for another top player next to him to build their foundation.
Here are five potential upgrades for Arsenal on Thomas Partey in the summer 2024 transfer window.
Douglas Luiz, Aston Villa
It won’t be easy to sign Douglas Luiz, but the Aston Villa star just might be the best midfielder available for Arsenal to sign in the summer 2024 transfer window.
Barcelona have also been linked, but there’s no way they will be able to afford the king’s ransom required to sign him. And at this stage, Arsenal may have even more drawing potential, too.
Douglas Luiz is an all-action monster in midfield who can defend at a high level and score goals, too. He had 9 goals and 5 assists last season for Aston Villa with 1.7 tackles per game.
A completely different player to Declan Rice, Luiz’s unique skill set could make him exactly the right fit as the player next to the England international.
Aleix Garcia, Girona
Aleix Garcia is underrated but world-class in his own right, though he is wanted by Aston Villa themselves. Barcelona are no longer vying as hard for Garcia, which could make his road to the Emirates easier.
One of the big breakout stars for Girona upon their LaLiga promotion in 2022/23, Garcia had another strong season for the one-time Spanish title challengers in 2023/24.
Arsenal could use a midfielder with Garcia’s composure, quality of passing, and chance creation. He can score great goals from nowhere and be another top-class orchestrator next to Declan Rice.
Exequiel Palacios, Bayer Leverkusen
Arsenal could sign another such player in Exequiel Palacios of Bayer Leverkusen, who is wanted by Aston Villa and virtually every noteworthy club in European football.
A duo of Palacios and Rice would be the envy of every other club in England, as Palacios was the unsung hero for Bayer Leverkusen in their undefeated Bundesliga campaign.
Palacios had 9 total goal contributions with 3.3 combined fouls drawn and dribbles completed per game, averaging well over a key pass per match.
Defensively, the Argentinian international averaged nearly four combined tackles and interceptions per game. He is world-class in every sense and not too far off from Rice in terms of quality himself; he could be the best value on the open market.
Angelo Stiller, Stuttgart
Staying in the Bundesliga, Stuttgart were an even bigger surprise side than Bayer Leverkusen, considering they needed the relegation playoff to stay up before qualifying for the Champions League this season.
Attackers Serhou Guirassy and Chris Fuhrich are soaking up all the praise after fantastic campaigns that should earn them big summer transfers, but Angelo Stiller may actually be the best long-term purchase from Die Schwaben.
Stiller produced five assists with nearly two key passes per match, averaging nearly three combined tackles and interceptions per game as the main anchoring piece for Stuttgart.
The 23-year-old German is a hidden secret and has massive upside. Stiller is a legitimate top talent and is already a superior player to Thomas Partey; he could be the next great value signing for Arsenal.
Martin Zubimendi, Real Sociedad
Martin Zubimendi may be an even bigger priority target in the defensive midfield than Douglas Luiz, and it is hard to think of a more ideal signing for Arsenal than the Real Sociedad star.
Because of his defensive stability, reading of the game, technical skills, and quality of passing, Zubimendi is the kind of a player a certain section of Arsenal fans were trying to convince everyone that Thomas Partey was.
Zubimendi produced another fine season in 2023/24 for La Real, and while he is resisting a transfer away from the Anoeta, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have the lure to convince him to form an impenetrable duo with Declan Rice.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.