Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey tipped for possible Spurs appearance after conflicting injury reports
Last Updated: December 3, 2020 1:10 pm
Partey confusion
Thomas Partey’s recent fitness has been of great concern to Arsenal, their fans and Mikel Arteta. The Ghanaian arrived for a £45 million fee, and made an instant impact. The 27-year-old was key in Arteta and the Gunners earning their first league win at Old Trafford since 2006, and away win against a ‘big 6’ side since 2015.
However, Partey was substituted at half-time against Aston Villa prior to the international break after suffering an injury, and has not featured since. During that time, Arsenal’s form has been dire. The club went on to lose 3-0 against Villa, and have not won a league game since.
Arteta has come under increased scrutiny, and it is difficult not to feel that Partey’s absence has contributed to Arsenal’s poor start to the season. Recently, the Gunners boss suggested that the midfielder would be out for ‘a few games’, but that may in fact not be the case.
Arteta on Partey: “I don’t think he will be ready for a few games.”
Asked whether the injury was more serious than first feared: “Yes.”
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) November 29, 2020
@TheAFCBell on Twitter has proven to be a reliable source of information when it comes to Partey, and confirmed the Ghanaian’s arrival at the club before all other outlets. Now, the account has stated that there could be a ‘pleasant surprise’ for Arsenal fans when it comes to Partey’s availability for Sunday’s north London derby.
معلومات لـ #جرس_أرسنال: على الرغم من عدم تصريح أرسنال بموعد عودة رسمي للاعب، إلا أن هناك فرصة قائمة لمفاجأة سارة يوم الأحد القادم حيث أشارت بعض المصادر لنا أن توماس بارتي قد يكون ضمن قائمة الفريق لمباراة توتنهام (ليس بالضرورة أن يبدأ المباراة) حال اجتاز فحوصات متأخرة السبت المقبل
— TheAFCBell🔔 (@TheAFCBeII) December 2, 2020
‘Information for #جرس_أرسنال : Although Arsenal has not announced an official return date for the player, there is an opportunity for a pleasant surprise next Sunday, as some sources indicated to us that Thomas Partey may be on the team list for the Tottenham match (not necessarily starting the match) if he passes late checks next Saturday.’
The return of Partey would provide a huge boost for Mikel Arteta, as his side could close the gap on their capital rivals to just 5 points in the Premier League table with a win.
Extraordinary to have fans back
Mikel Arteta will be welcoming up to 2000 fans back to the Emirates stadium on Thursday, for Arsenal’s Europa League meeting with Rapid Vienna.
Speaking ahead of the match, the Spaniard was clearly buoyed by the imminent return of the club’s supporters.
“It is going to be extraordinary to have them back, it will feel strange,” he said. “The club has done amazing work to facilitate everybody at short notice to be able to attend the stadium and I am sure it will work really well,” said Arteta.
“I am feeling sorry as well for thousands of fans that I am sure would like to make it, but can’t be there.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 01: Mikel Arteta the manager / head coach of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on January 1, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)
“We are ready to host as many as we possibly can. It is going to depend on how the pandemic develops, and the new measurements when we start to open things up a little bit and see how people react to that. Hopefully we can do that.”
Despite fans now being allowed back into grounds, they will be discouraged from singing and chanting, in what is expected to be a bizarre yet at least somewhat familiar experience.
Insight into Thomas Partey’s fitness provided ahead of Arsenal’s meeting with Wolves
This article was edited by Conor Laird.
Arsenal betting odds, next game:
Southampton vs Arsenal odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
| Southampton vs Arsenal Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 5/1 | 9/2 |
| Arsenal | 7/2 | 3/1 |
| Draw | 10/3 | 9/1 |
| Southampton vs Arsenal Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Ings | 13/8 | 13/8 | 21/20 |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | 15/8 | 15/8 | 11/10 |
| Alexandre Lacazette | 21/10 | 21/10 | 5/4 |
| Eddie Nketiah | 12/5 | 12/5 | 7/5 |
| Daniel N'Lundulu | 3/1 | 3/1 | 21/10 |
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| 2 | Manchester City FC | 18 | 18 | 38 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 19 | 14 | 38 |
| 4 | Liverpool FC | 18 | 16 | 34 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 18 | 16 | 33 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 17 | 7 | 32 |
| 7 | West Ham United FC | 19 | 5 | 32 |
| 8 | Chelsea FC | 19 | 10 | 29 |
| 9 | Southampton FC | 18 | 5 | 29 |
| 10 | Arsenal FC | 19 | 4 | 27 |
| 11 | Aston Villa FC | 16 | 11 | 26 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 18 | -4 | 23 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 19 | -11 | 23 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 19 | -8 | 22 |
| 15 | Newcastle United FC | 18 | -12 | 19 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 19 | -7 | 17 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 17 | -13 | 16 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 18 | -12 | 12 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 19 | -28 | 11 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 19 | -22 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 8 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 6 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Abraham, Tammy | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 5 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 6 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 5 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 5 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 6 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 5 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 5 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 3 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 3 |
