Arsenal will be without Thomas Partey against Everton.
Speaking after the Gunners’ win over Manchester United at the weekend, Mikel Arteta confirmed that the midfielder was sidelined with a groin injury.
Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 and had been an ever-present figure in their team as they challenged for the Premier League title.
Deemed as ‘so important’ to the North London club, Partey has been moved into defence this season to make way for the new arrivals of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz in the middle of the park.
The 30-year-old has started all three of Arsenal’s opening matches as a right-back, with Arteta opting to drop Gabriel Magalhaes to the bench.
However, Partey was absent through injury from their dramatic 3-1 win over the Red Devils on Sunday.
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Speaking on his unavailability, Arteta said: “It doesn’t look good. I believe he’ll be out for weeks.
“I think it’s more a groin [than a hamstring problem], but it could be something in between both.”
The Spaniard’s comments all but confirm that Partey will be out of action for Everton’s trip to the Emirates Stadium next weekend, while the Daily Mail have since reported that the Ghanaian will be out for at least six weeks.
Arsenal will also be without new signing Jurrien Timber, who had really impressed on the left of their defence before suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage on his competitive debut.
Thomas Partey’s absence doesn’t necessarily benefit Everton
Thomas Partey’s injury forced Arteta to revert to the backline that played out the entirety of the 2022-23 season.
Fans were relieved when Gabriel returned to their defence, with Ben White taking Partey’s place and Oleksandr Zinchenko making his comeback from injury.
It was what had been a proven success last year and it seemed to mostly work against Manchester United.
While Partey is important to the Gunners, the Toffees certainly won’t be facing a ‘weaker’ defence next week. Though it is the same defence that they claimed all three points against seven months ago.