Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has failed to impress at Villarreal following his return to Spain from the Premier League last summer
Ryan Taylor
13:15, 30 Jan 2026
Thomas Partey
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Thomas Partey joined Villarreal on a one-year contract from Arsenal last summer
Villarreal boss Marcelino has shared his brutally honest assessment of Thomas Partey, who played just 45 minutes of his side's 3-0 Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in midweek.
While the Spanish side are fourth in La Liga, they finished 35 out of a possible 36 sides in the Champions League standings having previously reached the semi-finals in 2022.
It prompted strong criticism from Marcelino and during his post-match press conference, he made it clear that Partey has been majorly disappointing since joining the club on a free transfer from Arsenal.
He said of the 32-year-old: “I think there’s a world of difference between the Thomas we knew at Arsenal and this one. It’s difficult to play at this pace in today’s football. I think it’s been six months now, and that’s enough time for him to show us what he’s capable of.”
Partey has managed 90 minutes just four times all season despite being a regular starter last term in north London.
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Villarreal confirmed the signing of the combative midfielder in August and Partey did not participate in pre-season training.
Arsenal's decision to offload the player following the expiration of his contract was undoubtedly the right one.
They've signed a clear upgrade in Martin Zubimendi - despite last weekend's blunder against Manchester United - and the Spaniard has taken their midfield to new heights this term.
Meanwhile, Partey has started just seven La Liga matches for La Liga and has not started in the league for the Yellow Submarine since November.
His current deal in Spain is up at the end of the campaign and it looks highly unlikely he'll be offered fresh terms.
Mateo Kovacic of Manchester City competes for the ball with Thomas Partey of Villarreal CF during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 match between Villarreal CF and Manchester City
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Thomas Partey has only completed 90 minutes four times for Villarreal
Arsenal have now discovered their possible Champions League last 16 opponents while Villarreal have been dumped out of Europe.
The Gunners will face the winners of Atalanta vs Borussia Dortmund or the winners of Bayer Leverkusen vs Olympiacos.
Either way, they'll receive a home tie for the second leg and that will also be the case in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, should they make it.
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Incredibly, only Kazakh minnows FC Kairat Almaty finished below Villarreal in the Champions League as Arsenal topped the pile.
Outside of drawing to Juventus, they lost all seven of their remaining league phase games and that included embarrassing defeats to the likes of Pafos FC and Ajax.
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