Mikel Arteta must soon make decision on Arsenal undroppable as £50m transfer dilemma explained

Arsenal have had their fair share of injury concerns this season. Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori are among those to have missed games in the opening few months of the campaign.

One player who has been ever-present is Thomas Partey. The midfielder has been available for every single game, with Mikel Arteta including the Ghana international in every squad he has named this season.

In fact, Partey has featured in 18 of Arsenal's 19 games played so far. His only rest came in the Carabao Cup win over Bolton Wanderers in September, where he did not come off the bench.

The 31-year-old joined Arsenal in a £45million deal from Atletico Madrid in October 2020 and has played more than 130 games for the north Londoners, scoring seven goals in that time. His latest outing came in the Champions League against Sporting, where he dominated the midfield along with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.

Partey's performance on Tuesday night, and his performances in general this season, were praised by Arteta after the match in Lisbon. Asked if this is Partey's best form, Arteta said: "Fully agree with you. He had one of the best performances that I’ve seen from him especially with the way he dominated the game.

"That’s the level he can play. This year he’s been so consistent as well because he’s always available - that’s a big thing. He’s a massive player for us."

The former Atleti man has been plagued with injuries during his time at Emirates Stadium. Hamstring, groin and ankle problems have all sidelined the midfielder for a period of time, although he has remained fit since the end of February this year and his availability has improved.

While his form at the back end of 2023/24 was patchy, Partey has been an undroppable for Arteta this season. It will be fascinating, then, to see what happens in the coming months as the Ghanaian's contract is set to expire next summer. Partey will be 32 years old next June so it's a delicate situation for both player and club.

With Jorginho's contract also expiring next summer, Arsenal may have to dip into the transfer market to replace one of the ageing midfielders. football.london understands Martin Zubimendi has been tracked, with Arteta a huge admirer of the Real Sociedad star. The 25-year-old is said to have a €60million release clause (£50million) so would not come cheap, although the Euro 2024 winner would undoubtedly add quality to Arteta's squad.

If Partey stays, however, Arsenal may be fine in the defensive midfield department for another year or two, with funds instead spent on other areas such as reinforcing the attack. A lot may depend on who Arsenal appoint as the new sporting director, with Edu resigning from his role earlier this month. Whatever happens, it is a very important few months for Partey, who continues to impress in an Arsenal shirt.

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