close
Arsenal fans were left bemused at the absence of Riccardo Calafiori for the Premier League game against Southampton on Sunday, May 25. The two teams lock horns at St. Mary's Stadium for the final game of the league season.
The Saints have been relegated from the top flight once again, while the Gunners will be finishing second for the third season running. Mikel Arteta made five changes to the team that won 1-0 over Newcastle United last weekend.
Arsenal fans quickly noted that Calafiori was missing once again and took to social media to express their opinion. One fan was left wondering how Calafiori wasn't in the team again, commenting:
"No calafiori again? How is this even possible"
Another quipped:
"Is Calafiori injured again? F*ck off man"
Another fan couldn't believe that Calafiori might be injured again, posting:
"Is Calafiori injured again? Like seriously???!!"
Another added:
"Calafiori is the new Tomiyasu... We just have to shift the old Tomi now."
One fan was surprised that Calafiori hadn't even made the bench, stating:
"How is calafiori not even on the bench... Wtf"
Arsenal signed Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna last summer in a reported £42 million deal. The Italian has registered 29 appearances across competitions this season.
Will Thomas Partey extend his stay at Arsenal?
Thomas Partey" srcset="https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/b6cfc-17481833002625-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/b6cfc-17481833002625-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/b6cfc-17481833002625-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/b6cfc-17481833002625-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/b6cfc-17481833002625-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/b6cfc-17481833002625-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/b6cfc-17481833002625-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/b6cfc-17481833002625-1920.jpg 1920w">
Thomas Partey
There's a growing optimism that Thomas Partey will sign a new deal at the Emirates, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke. The Ghanaian midfielder's contract expires next month, adding to speculation regarding his future.
Speaking to Football Insider, O'Rourke added that there's no dearth of interest in the 31-year-old.
"There’s growing optimism that a deal can be reached to see Partey remain at the Emirates. [Arteta] has come out and said that the Ghana International has been one of the best players for Arsenal this season, so he really wants him to stay at the club," said Rourke.
He continued:
“It’ll probably be about the length of the contract… but there is confidence that Thomas Partey will remain at Arsenal. There is some interest elsewhere obviously, because if he does become available as a free agent there’ll be a lot of takers for Thomas Partey."
He concluded:
“There’s been talk that Atletico Madrid are interested, as well as a number of clubs in Saudi Arabia… I would expect there’s confidence that they can get that deal done.”
Thomas Partey has registered three goals and four assists from 51 games this season.
Why did you not like this content?
Cancel Submit
Was this article helpful?
like selected
avatar selected
Thank You for feedback
About the author
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,
Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5 million reads.
Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.
Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.
Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.
Know More
Quick Links
More from Sportskeeda
Edited by Aditya Singh