Arsenal given late Thomas Partey contract hope as Gunners in game of "cat and mouse"

Thomas Partey leaving Arsenal is not inevitable this summer, and there is still a chance that the Ghana international will extend his contract at the Emirates Stadium, Charles Watts has told Sports Mole.

In under a week's time, Partey will officially become a free agent if he and his entourage fail to agree a new deal with the Gunners, who have been working to find a resolution with his team for some time.

However, reports in recent days have claimed that negotiations have hit a complete standstill, and it is looking increasingly likely that the former Atletico Madrid man will head for the exit door next week.

Nevertheless, while the two parties remain in dialogue, Watts can still envisage a scenario where a compromise is reached, especially as Arsenal have already lost Jorginho and Partey himself is keen to continue his career at the Emirates.

“I wouldn't say it's inevitable," Watts said of Partey's exit. "Something will need to happen fairly quickly in terms of a breakthrough, the impasse that they're at. These talks have been going on for a while. I think both sides were hoping that they would have come to agreement a good couple of weeks ago. That hasn't happened.

“You do start to get the sense the longer that goes on, the bigger possibility that he's going to end up leaving. I think there's still a chance that he signs, but someone's going to have to back down when it comes to the numbers. At the moment, no one seems to be willing to do that. But it is all still a bit of a game of cat and mouse.

“The preference for both sides is still to stay. Thomas Partey ideally would like to stay in London, he’s happy here. His family are happy here. Arsenal ideally would keep him for at least another year, which makes sense because Jorginho's gone, Zubimendi’s coming in and it's good to have Partey still around.

Watts: 'The clock is ticking with Thomas Partey'

“But they haven't been able to come to an agreement yet. It's looking more likely I suppose now that he probably will go. But I definitely wouldn't say it's inevitable. There's still a chance that a compromise will be reached. But the clock is certainly ticking.”

Partey is still on the same terms he penned upon his arrival at the Emirates in 2020, which allow him to pocket £200,000 a week at Arsenal, where he is the club's fifth highest-paid player behind Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.

The 32-year-old's camp are supposedly looking for a salary increase to give the green light to a new contract, though, something which Arsenal are understandably hesitant to do given his age and fitness record.

Partey did banish his injury woes last season to make 52 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and setting up three more, but he has missed 81 matches for club and country since joining Arsenal five years ago. 

As a result, Watts is of the view that Arsenal are not in a position to increase Partey's salary, even if the midfielder is receiving lucrative offers from the Saudi Pro League.

“I don't think you can justify a pay rise," he added. "I can understand why his people are pushing for that. He's probably got big offers from elsewhere, which include nice hefty signing on fees, but he's 32. He's got a big injury record that, although last year his availability was good, you can't really ignore. His minutes, as long as everyone stays fit and the plan works, are going to drastically reduce as well because of Zubimendi’s arrival.

“So how can you give someone who's already one of the highest earners at a club a pay rise on top of that? From a business and football point of view, it just doesn't really make sense. So they’re probably making the right decision. But I can certainly understand the argument of people who really liked Thomas Partey, how important he is to Arsenal think it's going to be a big blow to lose him.

“He played really well last season. Zubimendi’s going to need time to bed in. You've got a perfect guy there who knows exactly how to play that role, which is a really difficult role to play. So it makes sense to keep him. I can see both sides of the argument.”

Lucien Agoume to Arsenal assessed amid Partey uncertainty

Regardless of whether Partey signs a new contract, Arsenal will be reinforcing their defensive midfield ranks with the arrival of Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi, who is believed to have completed the formalities of his big-money switch.

The Gunners have reportedly delayed Zubimendi's unveiling until July for financial reasons, but the Spaniard can be considered an Arsenal player and is expected to be their first-choice number six in 2025-26.

However, with Jorginho now representing Flamengo, Arsenal would still be down a defensive midfielder from last season if Partey also departed, and the North London giants have been linked with a couple of potential replacements of late.

Sevilla's Lucien Agoume is said to be on the radar of the Gunners, as is Brentford's Christian Norgaard, and Watts would prefer to see a player of the former's profile fill Partey's boots next term.

“It's very interesting how completely different both are," he concluded. "If Arsenal are looking at both of those, it certainly shows again that Andrea Berta's juggling a few plates when he's looking at potential arrivals, because you've got two players completely different in terms of age range and everything.

“If they're going to replace Thomas Partey, I would go down the route of signing a younger player than a Norgaard. I could see the argument for someone like Norgaard as cover, primarily ready, proven, knows the game, has very good availability. But I think this is a time when you could bring in a younger player like Agoume.

“You can bet he won't demand the minutes that some players would. You can develop him. It's like another Sambi-Lokonga type situation, but hopefully it works out better! They definitely need to sign someone if Partey goes. You can't lose Jorginho and Partey in the same summer and only bring in one young player between 20, 23, 24 fits the bill more than an older player for me.”

Arsenal do have a few internal, makeshift alternatives to cover for Partey's potential exit, including Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Watts also delivered a contract update on the 18-year-old following reports of an agreement being reached on that front.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Partey's Arsenal future

Written by
Ben Knapton