Arsenal have serious questions to answer about their candidacy as Premier League title contenders in 2024/25 after a listless defeat to Newcastle, and while they can legitimately point to key injuries as a reason for their recent slide, the reality is that every club that wants to be a champion needs to overcome injuries.
Defending champions Manchester City have suffered even worse injuries this season, including an ACL tear to Ballon d’Or winner Rodri that was supposed to give Arsenal a key leg up in the title race.
Instead, they are falling behind Liverpool, who took advantage of slips from Arsenal and Manchester City this weekend with a comeback victory over Brighton, 2-1.
Although Arsenal should be reeling from their defeat to Newcastle, manager Mikel Arteta was busy praising defensive midfielder Thomas Partey, who seemed to be on his way out of the club last season after the Gunners made a significant summer upgrade in ex-West Ham star Declan Rice.
Instead, it sounds like, based on the comments made by Arteta about contract discussions with Partey, Arsenal are about to reward the declining 31-year-old:
“He’s only 31 and he’s in a really good place and yes, we’ll have discussions. The one thing that we needed was Thomas to be at the level we wanted certainly. He’s working so hard to do what he’s doing at the moment. I think he’s playing really well in different positions with different demands & he’s coping with it in a great way. He’s a big player for us.”
Partey has been in and out of the lineup over the past couple of seasons with injuries, and after Arsenal signed another upgrade this past summer in La Liga star Mikel Merino, the former Atletico Madrid man’s days in the XI appeared to be numbered.
He has been a regular this season, though, taking advantage of injuries in the Arsenal midfield to start 10 games. Partey has stepped up big time defensively this season with 3.0 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game while completing nearly 89 percent of his passes.
Those are strong numbers that back up Partey’s reputation as a top defensive player in midfield who can read the game well and make simple passes. But Partey lacks progression and creativity.
So while Partey’s numbers look good on the stat sheet, it isn’t really a coincidence that Arsenal, as a team, aren’t as good with him in the starting lineup because in the modern game for a team chasing a championship, he just doesn’t provide enough added value.
In fact, his meandering, sideways style on the ball gives an illusion of control but really slows Arsenal down, playing into the hands of an opposition that is all too eager to wait to pounce and counter the Gunners.
Partey could be a great starter for a team fighting for the Europa League, but since the Gunners are aiming to win the Premiership, perhaps spending high wages on a 31-year-old backup midfielder isn’t the best idea.
At some point, Arsenal need to realize that their standard must be higher in order to compete with the Manchester Citys and Barcelonas of the world. Partey wouldn’t even make either 25-man squad, so why do Arsenal entertain the idea of rewarding him with a rich contract? It makes little sense.
