Mikel Arteta Coy On Thomas Partey’s Contractual Situation

By The Editor
on 4th October 2024

Arteta not focusing on Partey’s contract…

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta waxed lyrical on Thomas Partey’s form this season and put it down to his preparation in the off-season, though he stopped short of commenting on the midfielder’s contractual situation.

Partey has started every Premier League and Champions League game this season, showing a robustness we’ve not witnessed since he joined in 2020.

The 31-year-old missed a majority of the campaign last term with constant muscular problems, resulting in the club sanctioning a procedure to cure his thigh problem.

Partey eventually returned in the spring and was a big part of the run-in, starting all our final five Premier League of the season as we took the title race to the final day.

The former Atletico Madrid man has continued that form this season and produced his best display in some time against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

With his contract set to expire in June, Arteta refused to be drawn into that discussion and insisted the focus is on preparing to win every game.

“He’s a massive player for us and he’s shown that week in, week out. He’s started the season really well, really fit,” Arteta said in his pre-match press conference.

“The way he came back post-holiday was probably in the best condition that he’s been, which was really helpful as well. Now he needs to continue to do that.

“We have managed certain minutes with him in the right way and the team is doing that, and then he’s doing everything he can as well to be in the best physical condition,” Arteta added.

When asked if Partey was playing for a new contract, the Spaniard was noncommittal.

“We play him to find our best version and to be the most competitive team that we can be and try to win every single game.”

Partey’s situation mirrors Jorginho’s last term and if that’s the case, Arsenal will likely wait as long as they can before deciding whether to offer an extension.