Mikel Arteta provides Thomas Partey update after Arsenal midfielder misses out on Ghana AFCON squad

Partey has encountered a series of muscular injuries throughout his Gunners career, but things have taken a turn for the worse during the 2023/24 campaign. At the beginning of the season, Arteta introduced a tactical shift, deploying the player in a new role at right-back. However, he could only feature in the first three matches of the league campaign as he picked up a groin injury before the clash against Manchester United in September. Although he returned to the squad for a brief period in October, a thigh injury in training once again sidelined him for an extended period.

It was expected that he would return in January but Arteta revealed that he is far from getting back to training. “It was about common sense," he told reporters. "He had a long-term injury. He really wanted to be with his national team but he’s still far from training for the team and it didn’t make sense for him to be involved.”

Ghana manager, Chris Hughton, was disappointed to miss out on Partey as he is one of the key figures in midfield for the Black Stars. However, what is more concerning is that he fears this injury could be the "biggest" Partey has suffered in his career.

"I’ve spent a lot over this period of time with Thomas and also engaging with the medical staff at Arsenal Football Club," Hughton said. "They will treat this injury with caution, and so will the player. This is a big injury for him and the biggest injury that he’s had."

Partey has played just 341 minutes for Arsenal across competitions this season. He was last named in the squad against Chelsea on October 21, where he was left as an unused substitute.

Arsenal are reportedly interested in Everton midfielder Amadou Onana as a replacement for Partey who has a contract with the London outfit until the summer of 2025. However, the Toffees could reportedly demand above £70m ($89m) and the figure could reach as high as £90m ($114m) for the midfielder whom they bought for £33m ($42m) from Lille in 2022.