Arsenal have been dealt with a huge blow after Thomas Partey came off injured against Manchester City in their FA Cup fourth round clash. The Gunners got knocked out by Mikel Arteta’s former side where he served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant, thanks to a sole strike from Nathan Ake. While Arteta did ring in some rotations, the lack of depth in his squad once again failed him.
However, the biggest loss of Arsenal was Thomas Partey, whose injury now looks quite serious. The midfielder was seen holding his back before being replaced at the half-time. Partey has been a catalyst in Arsenal’s midfield which is excelling brilliantly this season, helping the club sit atop of the Premier League and challenge for the title. But a potential long lay-off for Partey could derail the Gunners’ campaign, as he is not set for MRI scans on the injury.
Thomas Partey suspected to have sustained rib injury
While at the moment it was unclear what was troubling Thomas Partey, but it has now been confirmed that he experienced pain in the ribs. The Ghanaian indeed could be out for a long time if the injury, which already sounds a serious, happens to be a serious one. Meanwhile, Arteta has provided an update on his midfielder’s injury, as he stated that the player will now undergo a MRI scan. Arteta said:
“He [Thomas Partey] had some discomfort and it was getting worse and worse. He was uncomfortable to continue. (Saturday) or the day after he will have an MRI scan and see what he has. We have at the moment the injury of Mo [Elneny]. It is not possible to get him fit. [Albert] Sambi has come in and has done well. It is true Thomas is a big influence and a big personality and an important player in our squad. In the second half we didn’t have him.”
Arsenal are already thin on options in the midfield, with Mohamed Elneny out injured as well. The 23-year-old Albert Sambi Lokonga, who replaced Partey delivered a disappointing performance as it seems he still is not ready for the highly demanding English football despite arriving in the summer of 2021 from Anderlecht for €18m. As a result, the Gunners have already made a move to reinforce their midfield, by eyeing a move for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.
Arsenal have directly entered in action-mode, bidding £60m for Caicedo yesterday. Brighton too were quick to reject the offer from the north Londoners, which happens to be a second one for the midfielder this month since Chelsea too had a £55m bid rejected by the Seagulls. However, Caicedo has released a public statement urging the club to let him leave, probably for Arsenal. On being ask to comment about the same, Arteta replied:
“You know that I am not going to comment on any players until anything is done, and I will continue like that. As I said before, we have been pretty active in the market. We have some necessities and if something else is available, the club is willing to try to do it when it is reasonable and hopefully it’s a player that can improve our squad.”