From sell to keep: The resurgent form of Thomas Partey
Injuries and fitness issues led to many Arsenal fans calling for Thomas Partey's departure from the club, but the 31-year-old appears to be returning to his best.
For many years now, Thomas Partey has been somewhat of a divisive figure in the Arsenal fanbase. His quality and ability was never in question, we all knew just how good a player he was.
The problem became that, for as fantastic as he was when he played, he very rarely played. Injuries and fitness issues have plagued a large portion of his time at the Emirates - a surprise given his immaculate injury record at Atletico Madrid.
It led to a large percentage of the fanbase, of which I was a member, accepting the fact that Partey’s best years appeared to be behind him and that it may have been time to move on from the Ghanaian.
I have never been happier to have been proven wrong.
This article will explore exactly how Partey has turned his Arsenal career around and transformed himself back into an integral member of Mikel Arteta’s squad.
The resurgent form of Thomas Partey in 2024/25
The injuries that plagued Thomas Partey at Arsenal
Before we begin to explore Partey’s form in 2024/25, I think it’s important to first provide a wider context of the midfielder’s injury issues in North London.
Between the 2020/21 and 2023/24 campaigns, Partey missed a total of 80 games through injury for Arsenal and Ghana - an average of 20 matches per season. On their own, those figures are deeply concerning, but they become even more problematic when compared to the same metrics during his time at Atletico Madrid.
During Partey’s five seasons in the Spanish capital, he missed just seven games due to injury - an incredible average of 1.4 matches per season. The Ghanaian was supposed to be incredibly reliable and came with that reputation, but he had been anything but at Arsenal.
Of his 10 major injuries sustained during the aforementioned time period at Arsenal, eight were of a muscular nature, rather than occurring from physical contact. This added to the concern surrounding the 31-year-old’s fitness issues as it was his body, not his luck, that was failing him on a regular basis.
Therefore, while I have already stated that we Arsenal fans appear to have been wrong about Partey, our thinking was certainly justified.
So, how exactly did Thomas Partey turn things around at the Emirates?
Hard work in the summer of 2024/25
Well, the biggest reason for Partey’s current return to form appears to be an incredible level of hard work put in over the summer break.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal vs Southampton on 4 October, Mikel Arteta stated that the 31-year-old returned from his holidays in “the best condition” he’s ever been in during his Arsenal career.
Before stating that: “His work ethic has been better than ever, defensively he’s been really solid and with the ball he had moments.”
Arteta also alluded to the fact that Partey had changed certain habits which had greatly improved his fitness levels, suggesting that his poor injury record at Arsenal was as a result of poor lifestyle decisions.
However, he appears to have turned a corner in that regard and Arsenal are now reaping the rewards.
An incredible week for Thomas Partey
Those rewards being a series of incredible performances from Partey, and the Ghanaian has perhaps never had a more impressive week in an Arsenal shirt than the one just gone, during which we played both Shakhtar Donetsk and Liverpool.
I am going to use those two fixtures as mini-case studies to highlight just how impressive Partey has been this season.
Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk
In a game in which the rest of the team bar Gabriel Martinelli was fairly uninspiring, Partey was a force to be reckoned with and made our Champions League opponents look amateur at times, particularly in the first half.
At the break, he was shifted from midfield to right-back to allow Benjamin White some rest time, and while his performance levels did drop as a result, he performed the role to a good standard.
Throughout the 90 minutes, we saw composure on the ball, progressive passes, marauding runs and an ability to win the ball back that we hadn’t seen from Partey for quite some time.
Some of his most impressive numbers from the game were:
89% pass completion
6 interceptions + tackles
62.5% ground duel success rate
1 key pass
It was the type of performance that we had grown to expect from the midfielder in his early years at Arsenal, and we lost a lot of control in the middle of the park once he was moved to the right-hand side of the defence. That is a testament to the quality of his performance in that first half.
Arsenal vs Liverpool
In my Arsenal vs Liverpool match preview, I was adamant that, despite his good display in the role against Shakhtar midweek, Partey should not start at right-back in this game.
The prospect of Luis Diaz driving at the 31-year-old over and over for 90 minutes terrified me and I thought that battle would be our downfall.
Fast forward to today, and I cannot think of a single performance from Partey that has impressed me more than his display against Arne Slot’s side at the weekend. He bullied Diaz throughout the match and was arguably our best player - all while playing out of position.
As a makeshift right-back against one of the most dangerous and explosive wingers in the league, Partey recorded a duel success rate of 61.9% and made a total of five tackles.
It was a performance that led to Slot dragging Diaz off the pitch just after the hour mark - with the Colombian forward struggling to cope with Partey’s physicality.
If it wasn’t for yet another magical performance from our very own starboy Bukayo Saka, Partey would have been my vote for player of the match.
What does the future hold for Thomas Partey?
Well, now that is a complex question and one that largely depends on Partey’s ability to maintain not just his current form, but also his fitness, for the remainder of the season.
Another major injury would presumably see those in charge at Arsenal conclude that while the 31-year-old is still a fantastic player, availability is the best ability and it is an area in which he sorely lacks.
With the midfielder’s current contract expiring in the summer of 2025, the above scenario would likely see Partey depart the club on a free at the end of the current campaign.
But, if instead, he is able to stay relatively injury-free this season and continue to have a huge impact on the team, then I expect, and would be calling for, the club to offer the Ghanaian a contract extension.
Thomas Partey has been phenomenal this term and in my opinion, is an early contender for Arsenal’s player of the season.