Thomas Partey has been excellent for Arsenal this season and is certainly Mikel Arteta’s best central midfielder. It could also be argued that he is in the bracket for the best central midfielders in Europe.
This was proven by the fact that the Ghanaian had the third-best dribble success rate compared to other midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues in the previous campaign. Only Marco Veratti and Frenkie De Jong had scored higher than Partey. If the 29-year-old was not hampered by constant injuries, the £45million release clause that Arsenal paid on deadline day in the 2020 summer transfer window would undoubtedly be considered a bargain.
This is why it is a major boost that Partey is in contention to start against Tottenham in the North London Derby on Saturday, and could prove to be the key factor in the result of the game in comparison to the fixture towards the end of last season.
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Arsenal were embarrassed 3-0 in the last North London Derby against Tottenham, which all but damaged the Gunners' chances in the top four race. This defeat led to another loss at the hands of Newcastle and that saw Mikel Arteta’s side fall out of the Champions League places, while Spurs climbed in to them.
A major reason for the Gunners’ defeat in the previous derby was due to the absence of Thomas Partey, who had suffered a thigh injury that ruled him out. Just like this season, the Ghanaian’s absence from the midfield is noticeable as Arsenal lose their dominance in the middle of the park.
This was already highlighted in this campaign when Arteta’s side travelled to Old Trafford on the back of five consecutive wins. Arsenal struggled in the midfield against United, and ultimately lost 3-1 as Albert Sambi Lokonga came in to replace Partey.
Arsenal have notoriously struggled at away grounds against the top-six teams in the past. But, having Partey available in the midfield certainly decreases the chances of Arsenal losing.
This is why it is a major boost that he could potentially be available for Saturday’s north London derby. football.london understands that Arsenal remains hopeful that Partey will be available for the match against Spurs.
The Ghanaian was forced to leave national team duty early after picking up a knee injury ahead of their clash with Brazil. Speaking after that news though, manager Otto Addo admitted this had been as more of a precautionary measure.
“Hopefully Thomas will be healthy very, very soon,” he said. “We didn’t want to take that risk in a friendly game to play him against Brazil, but surely playing a player like him against a squad like Brazil would have been helpful.”
Partey’s presence will be crucial for the Gunners in such a crucial fixture. He could be the key difference between Arsenal winning or losing the North London Derby.
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