Fabrizio Romano is one of many journalists to report that Thomas Partey is going to be on his way out of north London. As we get closer to the end of the month and the time ticks away, the 32-year-old looks no closer to a resolution of his future that involves renewing his current contract with Arsenal.
An exit would mark the end of a five year association with the Gunners for the Ghanaian, whose future has fuelled fiery debate in the fanbase. Why has he been such a divisive figure at the club?
Partey presents a contract conundrum
Partey came to **Arsenal**in October 2020 after the club chose to activate his £45 million release clause. He departed from Atletico Madrid, his home of eight years, at the start of a season where Los Rojiblancos would go on to win La Liga. It took time for such ambitions to be realistic for him in N5.
A series of leg injuries curtailed his first two seasons with Arsenal, who were similarly subpar in their efforts. But it was all so close to coming together in the 2022/23 season: the team took the Premier League by storm with a scintillating style of play anchored by the Ghanaian, who was fit almost from start to finish and played 33 times for the side. In the end, dreams of success would go unfulfilled.
The Gunners got to the final day of the 2023/24 campaign in the hunt for the league title— without him on the pitch for most of that title bid and then they finished as the runners-up for the third year in a row in 2025. The last ten seven months have been some of the best for the midfielder on English shores, but it does not seem to have done enough to align the intentions of the club and his camp.
At no point in his time in north London has Partey renewed the initial deal he signed with his team. That contract lasted for five years and unless he put pen to paper this month, he would become a free agent. **Barcelona**are among the clubs circling for his signature and the last few weeks were decisive.
Headlines have not claimed the Ghanaian would not want to extend his stay with Arsenal. However, the guarantees of a healthy salary package and a lengthy deal are an investment that the club would be within their rights to refrain from making. His absence from the first leg of the Champions League semi-final after a needless yellow card conveyed how erratic he can be, especially in times of need.
Time is running out to settle on a solution to this impasse and silence is the most deafening sign of all.
A season that swayed some supporters
If the club chose to take this decision a year ago and recoup some money, it might have been received a little differently. However, he has built credit in the bank which has made this case less cut and dry.
First and foremost, he was on the pitch more often than not. He only missed three **Premier League**matches in the 2024/25 campaign and picked up 2810 minutes: the most out of his five seasons.
If availability is the best ability, then quality counts the most thereafter. In campaigns where Martin Odegaard was not at his usual level, Mikel Merino stood out as a makeshift striker, and Rice took a few months to get going, many have hailed him as the best performer out of the bunch in the midfield.
Even in his own right, there have been some big performances on the nights that matter the most.
Paris Saint-Germain got a humbling experience at the Emirates Stadium in a 2-0 defeat to the Gunners. Partey's powerful presence, heading, and tackling took a firm grip of the game as **Arsenal**eased to three points against a midfield who have managed to conquer the continent in the new year.
Against **Sporting Lisbon**in November, Partey picked out an expert, mid-range aerial pass to release Bukayo Saka off the shoulder of the last line in the buildup to the second strike in a 5-1 win for the Gunners. He put on the type of performance that set him apart at his best as someone who could pick up the tempo of the play, punch passes flat through the lines, or feint and duck away from pressure.
In the latter stages of the Champions League, he would go on to drop a masterclass against Real Madrid as Los Blancos bowed out with a 5-1 defeat on aggregate. It is little wonder that Mikel Arteta called the last campaign his "most consistent" in the red and white colours of Arsenal.
How do Arsenal adapt to his exit?
No matter how much he would have played, the news comes as an annoyance to those who thought the midfielder might stay. That is even more of the case after **Jorginho**joined **Flamengo**at the start of June. However, Gunners had begun the transition towards a future without him a long time ago.
Declan Rice arrived in 2023 as the marquee signing of the summer for £105 million. Hamstring and groin injuries ruled out Partey for about five months of the following campaign and Rice stepped into the role of the number six superbly before **Jorginho**relieved him of those duties in the new year.
Rice remains a pivotal piece in the plans and has continued to star as an eight. His running power, physical durability, and experience at the top level of the **Premier League**mean that fans should not fear the Gunners will lose all of the tactical stability that has been present in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, two transfers have been a sharp response as additional quality in this area of the field.
Christian Norgaard goes down as a 'sensible signing' for Arsenal, who seem set to pay a fee in the region of £10 million for the midfielder. The Dane has been the captain of fellow London outfit **Brentford**for the last two years and should be an adequate backup option in the position.
The player who would start ahead of him, and would have set his sights on usurping Partey, is Martin Zubimendi. Since January, reports have revealed that Real Sociedad are close to agreeing on a deal to hand him over to the Gunners. Finally, it looks like an approved fee would be around £55 million— a little more than the £51 million release clause the club could have chosen to pay for him upfront.
**Mikel Merino**can also play as a six, and Myles Lewis-Skelly might return to his most familiar role after asserting his place in the first team as a left back. It might not have been the plan to let go of Partey, but the board will back Arteta to make the most of his squad and evolve past his presence.