When selecting his Premier League team of the week, Troy Deeney selected an Arsenal player who ended up playing out of position this weekend, and praised the star’s flexibility.
Arsenal hosted Liverpool in a crucial clash at the top of the table on Sunday evening. The two titans of the English game played out a thrilling 2-2 draw, with the Gunners leading twice but being pegged back by Arne Slot’s team to take a share of the points. The result sees Liverpool drop to second place in the table behind Manchester City, while Arsenal remain in third.
During the game, an injury to Gabriel Magalhaes forced Mikel Arteta into switching up his back four, moving Ben White inside and opting to play midfielder Thomas Partey at right-back. The Ghanaian put in a good performance in an unfamiliar role, and Deeney was very impressed by what he saw.
Thomas Partey Shows His Value
Mikel Arteta knows he can trust Partey
In his regular column for the BBC, Deeney recognised Partey’s contrubution at the Emirates this weekend, and suggested it may be surprising that Arsenal would be looking to sell the 31-year-old at the end of the season.
Explaining his selection, Deeney wrote:
“I’m having Thomas Partey at right-wing back. He is the guy who is probably one of the Arsenal players they are looking to move on from in the summer, but he steps in and every time they ask him to play right-back he does a good job, doesn’t let the team down. He is the type of person you’d be really grateful for in your team.”
The Partey is Over
Arsenal will try and sell Thomas Partey next summer
With Declan Rice and Mikel Merino offering high quality options in the middle of the park, it is very likely Arteta will deem Partey surplus to requirements in the near future. Reports suggest Partey will stay put for the rest of the season, before being moved on.
Thomas Partey 2024/25 statistics (all competitions) | |
|---|---|
Stat | Total |
Appearances | 12 |
Minutes played | 1,007 |
Progressive passes per 90 | 5.00 |
Pass completion % | 86.2 |
Tackles won per 90 | 1.96 |
Successful take-on % | 42.9 |
Partey has missed a large chunk of the last year due to injury, and is now into the final year of his contract with the Gunners. There were big question marks over his future during the summer, but Arteta decided to retain Partey for the meantime.
All statistics via FBRef – as of 28/10/2024