Mikel Arteta hints at Thomas Partey talks amid Arsenal midfield revival

The Arsenal midfielder is enjoying something of a mini-revival this season, with the 31-year-old already racking up more Premier League minutes this term (799) than he did in the entire 2023/24 campaign (789).

Partey has made 13 appearances in all competitions in 2024/25, scoring one goal along the way, and 12 of those have been in the north London side's starting XI.

The Ghana international joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 for £45m (€53.7m, $58m) and while he may not have hit the heights some would have hoped of him, manager Arteta is well aware of his worth to the team.

Ahead of his contract at the Emirates expiring next summer, the Spaniard has heaped praise on Partey â- who has been linked with a move to Barcelona â- and said talks will take place over his next move.

He told reporters on Friday: "The one thing that we needed was Thomas to be at the level we wanted certainly. He's working so hard to do what he's doing at the moment, and I think he's playing really well in different positions with different demands and he's coping with it in a great way. He's a big player for us."

Arteta added: "He's in a really good place and we will have these discussions [about his Arsenal future)."

Prior to these comments from Arteta, it had been expected that Partey would see out his contract at the Emirates and head for pastures new at the end of the season.

Media sources previously revealed Partey is unlikely to be offered an extension on his current £200,000 per week deal, with the Gunners looking more to the youth going forward.

In recent months, he has been linked with Barcelona and Juventus, but our sources suggest a move to the Saudi Pro League could be on the cards.

While Arsenal have Declan Rice, Jorginho and summer signing Mikel Merino as central midfielders, having Partey as an extra option may be something worth pursuing for 2025/26.

The fact that he is playing so much shows he is a valued member of the squad and having his experience in the team could be invaluable beyond this season.

An intriguing few months lie ahead for both the Gunners and Partey.

Arsenal have long been linked with Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres but have yet to bid for the prolific striker.

However, the Sweden international may be on the move in the next year or so due to manager Ruben Amorim leaving the Portuguese giants for Manchester United in the coming weeks.

According to media reports, the Gunners are extremely keen to add a world-class No.9 at some point and this turn of events could point them towards Gyokeres.

Elsewhere, Arsenal may not have it all their own way in their efforts to sign Ajax defender Jorrel Hato. That is because Liverpool have reportedly entered the race to sign the 18-year-old.

Finally, Arsenal are reportedly prepared to return for Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia in 2025 after having multiple bids for the 23-year-old rejected in the summer.

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