Before Mikel Arteta and Edu proceed with an overhaul of Arsenal's midfield this summer, they ought to keep next year's Africa Cup of Nations tournament in mind.
The competition is set to take place in the Ivory Coast between January 13th and February 11th 2024, and with Egypt among the nations to have already qualified, the fact they will be considered one of the favourites to lift the trophy there is a very high possibility that they could be involved until the latter stages.
As a result, Mohamed Elneny - assuming he is named in the squad - could be unavailable for the Gunners for up to a month during the second half of next season. And the same may very well apply to Thomas Partey but only on the condition that Ghana also qualify, which they will do as long as they avoid defeat against Central African Republic in September.
In the scenario where both players are called up by their respective nations for the tournament next January and go all the way to the final then the Premier League games they'll miss for Arsenal are Crystal Palace (h), Nottingham Forest (a), Liverpool (h) and West Ham United (a).
With the Carabao Cup semi-final being played across two legs once again, if the Gunners are involved at this stage next season then Partey and Elneny would be available for selection for the first leg which takes place the week commencing January 8 but potentially not the return leg which takes place the week commencing January 22.
Furthermore, the north London outfit enter the FA Cup in the third round which is due to take place on the weekend of January 6 thus allowing the aforementioned duo to feature but it could be touch and go if Arteta's side advance to round four which is pencilled in for January 27.
READ MORE: What happened to Thomas Partey after £12m Arsenal transfer that may have foreshadowed next move
Of course, it remains to be seen if Partey will even be an Arsenal player by the time the Africa Cup of Nations gets underway as he's been heavily linked with an exit this summer amid links to Serie A giants Juventus as well as interest from several clubs from Saudi Arabia who are reportedly willing to pay up to €40million (£34.4million) for his services.
Now, if the 30-year-old stays put and is called up for Africa Cup of Nations duty along with Elneny, this would leave Arsenal with only Jorginho - and potentially Declan Rice - as their senior options in the deep-lying midfield position for a month that involves four Premier League fixtures, potentially one FA Cup tie and two games in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
This is because football.london understands Granit Xhaka is expected to join Bayer Leverkusen in a £13million deal whilst Albert Sambi Lokonga has been linked with a loan move to Burnley where he would be reunited with Vincent Kompany whom he played under at Anderlecht.
So if Arteta and Edu do complete an overhaul of Arsenal's midfield this summer they must ensure they have sufficient cover for Partey if a transfer doesn't materialise as he will almost certainly be absent for a month at the beginning of next year, whilst he would need to be replaced if sold to ensure the Gunners avoid a crisis in early 2024.
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