“There has been interest” - Charles Watts predicts whether Arsenal will sell 31-year-old star this summer amidst uncertain future
Reputed journalist Charles Watts has opened up on the future of Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey. The Ghana international's future has been the subject of speculation over the last couple of seasons and his future remains up in the air.
As per Football.london, the Gunners are close to landing Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad in a deal worth £30 million. With the imminent arrival of the Spaniard, Thomas Partey could go down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta.
However, in his column for Caught Offside, Charles Watts has claimed that he does not see Partey leaving the Emirates Stadium this summer. The journalist insisted that while Arsenal have been open to offers for Partey in the last two summers, they failed to receive a suitable offer.
Watts claimed that Partey remains a target from Saudi Arabian clubs but he believes that the 31-year-old will remain at the club. Watts wrote in his column for Caught Offside:
“I don’t really see Partey moving on now. Arsenal have been open to him leaving for each of the past two summers but they have not received any offers that have been deemed suitable. There has been interest from Saudi Arabia but it’s never materialised into anything concrete.”
Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2020 after his release clause of £45 million was triggered by the Gunners. He has made 116 appearances for the north London giants scoring five goals and providing four assists.
The Ghana international started for Mikel Arteta's side in their first game of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates. He featured in midfield alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard as the Gunners secured a 2-0 win.
Ian Wright slams Arsenal star despite win against Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has hit out at Gabriel Martinelli following his below-par showing against Wolverhampton Wanderers. While Mikel Arteta's side won the game 2-0, the Brazil international had a pretty poor game.
Martinelli had a chance to set Declan Rice up for goal but he scuppered the chance by going for goal himself. Speaking to the Premier League Productions, Ian Wright slammed the 23-year-old for his poor decision-making. He said, as quoted by HITC:
"This one here is a bit disappointing for me because he has got the opportunity to cut back to Declan Rice. Just lay that into Declan, go 2-0 up and go in at half-time. I know that he's desperate to do well because he has got [Leandro] Trossard on the bench."
The former Arsenal striker added:
"He had a poor season last year, Martinelli. But, he's trying to impress upon the manager, but give that back to Declan Rice, 2-0, and then you probably get your goal in the second half."
Martinelli scored eight goals and provided five assists in 44 appearances across competitions last season. Leandro Trossard had a much prolific season in comparison despite playing fewer minutes as he scored 17 goals and produced two assists in 46 outings.