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Mikel Arteta has tested postive for Covid-19. The Arsenal squad and staff are quarantined. The Premier League is on hiatus. The entire sports world has come to stop, while the globe attempts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Eventually the Arsenal and soccer will return - and when it does, the Gunners need to refocus on building a stronger squad for Arteta heading into next season. The midfield has remained an uncertain and underwhelming position for years. Xhaka has been up and down, Guendouzi has heart but often gets pulled out of position. Lucas Torreira couldn’t get in under Unai Emery and now has to battle back from an ankle fracture. Joe Willock has been used in spots, but is no where ready to be a sure starter in the Premier League. Then there is Dani Ceballos, who looked solid at the start, disappeared with injuries in the middle of the season and recently came back strong - but is on loan from Real Madrid.
Whenever Arsenal returns they need a summer midfield signing, which brings us to Thomas Partey. The Daily Telegraph reports that an English club has been in contact about the Atletico Madrid midfielder and his £45 million release clause.
The 26-year-old Ghanaian has been in the Atletico system since his promotion from the youth sides to the Atletico B team in 2012. After a series of loans Partey joined the senior side in La Liga back in 2015, but only really saw his stock rise in 2018 as he broke into the starting XI more often.
Thomas often serves as the defensive midfielder protecting the back line, something the Arsenal team has been in need of for years. The stats look appealing - 174 appearances for Atletico, 15 goals and 12 assists, along with 26 caps for Ghana and nine goals. He’ll turn 27 this summer and would seem like good value if the £45 million release clause is true.
It’ll be slow news days ahead in the soccer world, but we can at least start daydreaming of rebuilding the roster for the 2020/21 season. Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below on Thomas Partey and whether or not Arsenal would be wise to invest in him this summer.