SM
Arsenal vs. Juventus: 3 hrs 44 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

How Arsenal could line up with Thomas Partey

:Headline: How Arsenal could line up with Thomas Partey: ID:397471: from db_amp
Sports Mole looks at how Arsenal could line up if they sign Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid when the transfer window reopens.

Whereas potential outgoings have dominated much of the Arsenal transfer talk ahead of the next window, recent reports suggest that the club could be on the verge of making a significant addition to their squad.

The Gunners are in talks with Atletico Madrid midfield Thomas Partey - as confirmed by the player's father - and are weighing up whether to trigger the £44m release clause in his contract.

The defensive midfielder has made 35 appearances for Atletico across all competitions this season and was widely praised for his performances against Liverpool in particular as Diego Simeone's side dumped the Champions League holders out of Europe.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Mikel Arteta's side could look if they are able to sign Thomas ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.



Thomas is the type of player Arsenal fans have been demanding for years - a defensive midfielder capable of breaking up play, launching attacks and providing more steel to the spine of the team.

Before the coronavirus lockdown Arteta usually opted to play Dani Ceballos alongside Granit Xhaka in that role but, with the loanee expected to return to parent club Real Madrid before moving elsewhere this summer, there is likely to be a vacant place alongside the former captain.

Xhaka himself appears to have rescued what at one stage looked like an irreparably damaged Arsenal career, re-establishing himself above Matteo Guendouzi in the pecking order.

With Thomas adding solidity to the Arsenal foundations, the Gunners will hope to keep hold of those who can take full advantage of that further up the field - namely Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

Aubameyang is the priority and with clubs' transfer plans being affected by coronavirus it is perhaps more likely now that he will still be at the Emirates in 2020-21, regardless of whether he agrees a new deal before that.

Lacazette's place in the side is in question considering Eddie Nketiah was preferred by Arteta in recent months, while Gabriel Martinelli is another youthful option up front to provide yet more competition for places.

Mesut Ozil again looks like he is going nowhere and would still make a full-strength XI, and the presence of Thomas behind those attackers could mean that Arteta is able to take even more risks by playing all four of his 'flair' attackers, Nicolas Pepe completing the quartet.

At the back, Kieran Tierney is expected to be the first choice when he recovers from an injury-plagued debut campaign at the club, while a lack of other options means that Hector Bellerin is still the best bet on the opposite flank.

Shkodran Mustafi is another of the players to have enjoyed a new lease of life under Arteta, forming a partnership with David Luiz which appears to be Arsenal's go-to centre-back pairing now.

amp_article__397471 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-05-05 08:16:49:
html db last update - 2020-05-05 08:16:49 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .