As they look to return for action in the Premier League, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has dropped an update regarding Thomas Partey’s fitness ahead of their match against Crystal Palace.
In the last summer transfer window, the North London club was able to acquire the services of the Ghanaian midfielder from La Liga giants Atletico Madrid for a reported fee of £45 million.
The Ghana international, who was meant to strengthen and stabilize Arteta’s team, has been on the sidelines more than he had played for the English team due to injuries.
During their 3-0 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa back on November 9 at the Emirates Stadium, the 27-year-old succumbed to a thigh injury, which led him to be sidelined for some weeks before returning in their derby defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Partey was subbed off for Dani Ceballos before the half-time whistle, due to an injury suffered right Harry Kane’s goal. The club was without the Ghanaian midfielder for the whole Christmas period.
Many were hoping to see the return of the former Atletico midfielder in the Gunners’ FA Cup third-round game against Newcastle on Saturday, as he was spotted in training, Arteta, who had other plans, excluded him from the starting lineup for the match.
After securing a 2-0 win against the Magpies, the Spanish manager, who was being interviewed by reporters, said via Goal: “Yes, because we assessed the situation, how much training he’s done, the boxes that he ticked and he was still a little bit short.”
The night didn’t end that way as Arteta dropped a hint for the fans as he claims that Partey could be included in his match day squad in their next match against Palace on Thursday, with BoyleSports football betting placing interesting odds on the game for the fans to have a chance at predicting the possible outcome for the respective clubs.
He continued: “Hopefully we will have him in the squad on Thursday. Let’s see how he trains in the next couple of days. He’s really good at the moment.”
Reintroducing Partey into Arteta’s team could see the Gunners improve and possibly hold onto their impressive run of form, as they have been able to secure four wins in their last four outings after starting off the season poorly.
The Spanish manager was brought under scrutiny earlier in the season as was tipped to part ways with the Gunners after going through seven matches without a win. A 3-1 victory against their London rivals Chelsea on Boxing Day sees the questions change.
Following that is getting victories against Brighton and West Brom as they moved up to the 11th position on the Premier League table following the points accumulated in their last three games.
Claiming a win against Crystal Palace on Thursday could see them move to the top half of the table, before moving on to play against Newcastle the following week at the Emirates Stadium. Arteta will be having a chance to prove himself to everyone once again as they will be facing Manchester United on December 30 and he will be hoping to score all three points against their fierce rivals.
