With Arsenal set to sell Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen this summer, the potential departure of Thomas Partey adds another layer of complexity to the business the club have to do.
It was reported two days ago that there was a ‘concrete’ chance for the Ghanaian to leave if the right offer came in, and that was followed by suggestions of interest from Saudi Arabian clubs.
This evening, our friend James Benge reports that there are three clubs in the Saudi league pursuing the 30 year old midfielder.
In an article for CBS Sports, he says that Al Nassr, Al Ahli and Al Khaleej are all interested in signing Partey, and that Arsenal would be willing to let him go. It has also been suggested that the former Atletico Madrid man’s representatives have held discussions with said clubs about a potential move.
Of course, much will depend on what’s on offer to both Arsenal and the player, but with big transfer fees and bigger salaries being used to tempt top talent, it might well be a deal that suits both parties.
The Gunners would receive some of the €50m they paid for Partey in 2019, while the player – beset by injuries since his arrival from Spain – might feel a less demanding league is more suitable for his talents as he heads into the September of his career.
There’s further credence to these reports from David Ornstein who says both Arsenal and Partey’s agents have held talks about a possible departure during this window.
🚨 Arsenal + Thomas Partey camp both working on potential exit solutions if suitable opportunity arises for a sale. Interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia & #AFC considering options. Would require replacement, in addition to Declan Rice pursuit @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/8ip0k7Bd8s
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 20, 2023
It would require a serious replacement, with talk that our interest in Romeo Lavia has ramped up in recent days, and a trio of arrivals including the Southampton man, Declan Rice, and Kai Havertz could kickstart the spending this summer.
Let him go
I think he will go and perhaps we’re waiting on this sale to kickstart our spending
Just add a few 0s on for the Saudis and we can sign who we like
Recouping the fee we paid for a 30 year old on big wages, with an extremely spotty injury record and who lost the trust of the manager at the end of the season would be great business.
Lost the trust? Don’t think so. He was excellent for us most of the games he played. Keep him.
When he’s fully fit – about 20% of the time, he’s great.
When he’s carrying a knock – about 80% of the time, he lumbers around chasing shadows.
He’s 30 and we won’t get a better opportunity to make some money on him.
Sell him.
Agreed
I like him but I haven’t completely warmed of him. He’s one of our senior players but never really carried the authority of one, so on that basis i’d have no issues if he left.
First 3/4 touch’s in every game were iffy, after that o’k ish. Long shots were on the whole poor, not to the standards that are required. Good luck wherever he goes, thanks for some special moments.
Lol….How else would we truly know how underrated he’s been? Top 5 on the planet in his position and we’re chasing an overrated Player who costs 100m…..if Arteta gets this wrong his project will fly off its trajectory….. Arsenal FC hasn’t had a DM this good for 15years…
Whilst I’d be sad to see him leave (on his day he’s truly elite and instrumental in our play), his injury record and THAT off-field issue in particular mean there’s a chance his value could tank within the next 4-6 weeks. Now is the best time to sell and hopefully reinvest.
Losing both Partey and Xhaka in this summer doesn’t sound good to me. That midfield would be badly compromised
A 19 years old is hardly a replacement.
This actually feels like a great opportunity to get in some money that can offset the Rice deal.
I’d even vouch that we sell Partey and keep Xhaka for squad depth and experience. He’s less injury prone than Partey for a start.
Yep sell Partey.
yep in theory I agree, but Xhaka has been approved a move because of personal/ family reasons I believe. To go back on that now would be dishonourable and not the arsenal way.
*cough* Koscielny…
That situation was disgraceful and should never happen again. Emery overplayed Koscielny who had just come back from a very serious injury until he could hardly walk and then broke the agreement that he could leave. And Koscielny was supposedly the villain for standing up for himself! Thankfully Mikel and Edu have integrity.
We should be asking for the full €50 million. Still a loss due to inflation etc but we shouldn’t accept less.
No one would pay it. Before he came to Arsenal he hadn’t had a bunch of injuries. Now he has. No one is paying that much for a 30 year old midfielder with off-field issues and a checkered (at best) injury history since coming. I mean, great if they do, and if anyone is profligate enough to do it it’s the Saudis, but I highly doubt it, personally
This is damage limitation business
Why wouldn’t Saudi Arabia pay that? They just paid £47m (is that €50 million?) for Ruben Neves.
Jorginho and Elneny surely should go before him. Partey is the scapegoat for Rob Holding ruining our season
I hope this is not concrete.
Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement that cures over time.
Concrete has several meanings, including: ‘existing in a material or physical form; not abstract.’ So your condescending comment is a bit off the mark
I bet your fun at parties.
I think it was a joke, rather than condescending.
Don’t be so hard on the guy!
He hasn’t fully cemented his place in the side due to his late season form.
100m would be fair!
Excited about Rice and Lavia to refresh the midfield. I’ve enjoyed Partey but a good fee and good replacements works for me.
It’s going to happen: Ricedovia
“The Gunners would receive some of the €50m they paid for Partey in 2019…” That irritates me for God’s sake!
Why are we not getting all our money back and some more? These are Saudi clubs we are talking about.
Here we are, about to pay £70m for a Kai Havertz who was bought for £72m, and who is generally agreed has had three underwhelming seasons at Stamford Bridge, and we are talking about recouping ‘some’ for a world class dm in his prime! I don’t get it. They’ll pay £60m if we insist.
Maybe because everyone knows he has personal issues and is injury prone. I’d be glad to see him gone and his issues no longer embarrassing the club.
This comment ffs. Thank the lord you aren’t in charge of selling our players. Its an attitude like this which enables everyone else to think our players are somehow worth peanuts. TP is in his prime. Him and Rodri were the 2 best dms in the best league last season. He’s barely had an injury before he came to England. He is also innocent until the justice system decides otherwise. If the Saudis want our best players they need to pay a premium (like they did with Neves). It’s not about what you think he’s worth.
He’s definitely in his prime if he’s going to Saudi Arabia.
They’re doing these deals for clout, and have bottomless pockets. I don’t see why we don’t ask for a massive amount and negotiate from there.
kai havertz will be the best signing arteta ever made for arsenal.
Kai was bought for a 100 mil according to Fabrizio
100 mil what, Deutsche Marks?
Not sure where you got your figures from but Havertz costs Chels £90 & apparently an agreement’s been made in principle to buy him for £65 (inclusive of add ons).
That’s being reported on the Athletic & the fee Chels paid for Havertz can be found anywhere after a quick Google.
If Orny has been allowed to say this then it’s probably happening. Partey has been great for us but we have suffered when he’s been out of the team. Can only hope the club pony up for Rice and we get enough out of any deal to bring in another strong addition. Also presume that Jorg will be staying if this happens. Wonder where Elneny is with his recovery?
Also intrigued by the footnote – if Timber is travelling to the UK we must have made progress on that deal. Exciting!
Pepe’s agent needs to wake tf up before all the Saudi clubs gets filled. I don’t want to hear any shit about fighting for a place man
He might be considerably too young for them. Seems they prefer older gentlemen.
Unless shit is really bad of pitch, this is pretty nuts… We’re looking at a whole new midfield after the first year we’ve had a good midfield in a decade. 🤦🏽♀️
I smell a good trade here. I smell tripe-figure in millions. Edu is genius.
Save the ‘genius’ bit at least until the ink is dry on Declan Rice’s contract.
At the moment, we are one big Flash Harry offer by City from losing out.
Thomas Partey is immense. It would be an incredibly bold move to let him and Xhaka go, especially after the promise shown last season, we need to build on that
First half of the season was good but he got injured yet again and then went back to lumbering around chasing shadows.
Sell him now, for as much as we can get.
Question: would you rather keep partey or jorginho?
Regardless keep Xhaka
Thomas Vermaelen-Kolo Toure double pivot for me
Jorginho any day.
The Saudis ramping up their domestic sportswashing project is a tremendous opportunity for European clubs to sell some of their aging players for way over anything approaching reasonable valuations, just like China did the same a few years ago. If the right offer comes in (i.e. what we paid for him), I think it’d be very hard for the club to say no. There are reasons it would make sense for Partey too.
This is a joke
Some of you lot are never satisfied are you?
We finally look to spend big on world class players like Declan Rice – and you do nothing but moan about the £100m price tag.
We also look to try and cash in on the injury prone deadwood like Thomas Partey – you still moan.
This fan base during the past 20 years has gone from bad to worse.
Joystick experts and amateur accountants.
Could be that some people moan about one and some the other, rather than it being the same people complaining about both. Just a thought.
We need to add to the team not rip it apart
Sell all our dead wood to the Saud.
Holding , Elneny etc
Yep.
Good business.
Elneny?!?
What’s the deal anyways… Saudi clubs just decided to start splashing the cash all of a sudden or did I miss something in the news?
The Saudi government invested in a bunch of the domestic league clubs. Apparently they weren’t able to spend enough money on Newcastle and wanted to be able to spend unlimited money on players in a league where they make the rules.
They want to host the 2034 world Cup or something and need to demonstrate there’s passion for the game in their country. That’s their plan.
Partey is a great player but he is now 30 years old and its a smart policy to cash in while he is still playing so well,AFC at last seem to be buying younger players which of course makes sense and if it becomes a habit to get a reasonable return when sold then thats better than tearing up contracts,loaning out and getting stuck with unsuitable players.
The Kronkes want a “self sustaining system” and after backing Arteta’s process that is a smart way to go.
I’m very uncomfortable with losing both GX and TP. Feels like a big gamble to completely reinvent the back of midfield. Risks having a bedding in season that cd see us not make top 4 again. I do trust MA and Edu but how can they know how this will work out. To me losing GX is more of a worry due to his dressing room presence. I hope this works out ok.
If we sell Partey, I’d keep Xhaka now, regardless of who we also get in.
If Partey goes we may not make Top 4 next season.
If this is the case…perhaps there is a case to ask Xhaka to stay for one more year. Continuity & all that…
Agreed. Rice in for Partey seems like a functional straight swap. but there isn’t a clear successor for Xhaka and what he’s brought to the team out of ES-R, Jorginho, Lavia (potentially) or Lokonga (lol), who’d have to fight for that place. But can we really afford to figure that out as we go along as a promising and developing team with PL ambitions? In that context I’d rather we kept Xhaka. In any case it’s a fascinating development and I’m excited to see how it unfolds.
The issue is Rice is almost injury free till now. What this means is less playing time for Xhaka and I don’t think he is going to accept second fiddle role to Rice, which is fair to the man. If he wants to leave then let him go.
If this news is to be believed i think Rice will play in Partey’s role.
Just send Xhaka’s wife some flowers, she won’t mind waiting another year.
I think we should cash in. His injury record isn’t good and I think that we have seen the best of Partey as a player. Age isn’t on his side either.
Imperative partey stays with us. we would rather not sign rice @100 mil and just keep partey. havertz is the player this team desperately needs in that midfield. havertz and lavia for the 100mil is enough.
Just feels like next year would be the one to sell both Partey and Xhaka. One or both should ideally be phased out over the course of next season, but they’d still be important even if we do sign Rice and Lavia.
I’m starting to wonder if Arteta sees Havertz as the Xhaka replacement? He does cover ground well and can be quite physical. Not sure I’m keen, any time we’ve played with anything approaching a 4-1-4-1 under Arteta or back in the Wenger days we’ve looked flimsy and unable to sustain any attacking pressure
Let’s stick to football: I think this sale is a good idea. Thomas is great on his day, but he never performed regularly for more than a few months, and his dip in form and Saliba’s injury are 2 big reasons why we lost the title.
If he and Xhaka leave though, Rice looks like a great start but we need at least another experienced player – which Lavia isn’t yet.
Definitely have to look to sell him now if there is great interest as his value will never be higher than it is now with two years left on his deal and coming off of a relatively healthy year for a change. Big risk of course unless we have a replacement ready to be brought in, but in order to continue to improve the squad we have to be willing to let players go before it’s too late and we can’t get much for them.
Whilst loath to lose him, the more i think about it the more it seems to make sense. All variables are there for us to recoup or profit from out initial investment. No doubt his injury issues have played a part in clubs decision but i would imagine the fact he could potentially be at ACON during Jan and Feb play a part. Don’t forget last time he went on NT duty Arsenal had to send a physio with him. Add all this to the fact he’ll be over 30 and on a high wages with less than a year… Read more »
Do you think we can persuade the Saudis to take Pepe too?
Where were those Saudis for Guendozi, AMN, Torrera…
Come to think of it, where’s Iwobi’s agent who swindled Everton for us?
did we utilise the Chelsea / Saudi link to purchase Havertz at a high price in order to sell Partey at a high price
The pieces fit. Partey is a massive player but has issues: 1. Fitness and durability 2. Age and length of contract. 3. Possible off the field issues from last summer. Arsenal have been planning to buy their player of the future in that role, and that player is Declan Rice. If we get him then Partey becomes a saleable asset. His departure would be offset further by the presence of Jorginho and the funds from his sale could be invested in an up and comer with a similar profile, like Romeo Lavia. That’s the path. There is something similar happening… Read more »
This looks like a one off opportunity to recoup his full transfer fee. A player over 30 with uncertain form and it looks a good deal if we buy in a replacement.
Not sure if anyone notice that he tend to run out of steam at around 75+ min every game and he doesn’t get sub out, as we had no replacement. Thankfully, most of the games we were winning by then and he’s walking around the midfield instead, We didn’t have the backup for him till Jorginho came, yet at that point, we were starting to drop points and tighter games, so he stays on the pitch to control the midfield, especially after we lost Saliba(one who can also bring the ball forward with ease) and MA chose to keep faith… Read more »
Partey has never been a leader.
” … as he heads into the September of his career”
.. bingo, per my informal chart – hehe
Below 20 – January
21-22 – February
23-28 – April through August
29-30 – September
31-32 – October
33-34 – November
35+ – December