BEVERLY HILLS, November 20, (THEWILL) – North London Premier League club Arsenal confirmed that they will be without Ghanaian central midfielder Thomas Partey for Sunday’s trip to Leeds.
The summer signing from Atletico Madrid has been impressive for the Gunners since arriving at the Emirates, after his release clause was triggered by the club.
But in the last game before the international break, the 3-0 loss to Aston Villa, the 27-year-old was replaced at half-time with a thigh strain in his left leg.
As a result, he was out of contention during the international break as Ghana won one and lost another of their African qualifiers against Sudan. Yet, Partey is still not ready to return this weekend with the Gunners away at Elland Road against Marcelo Bielsa’s men.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had hoped that Partey would be available against the Whites to provide midfield stability. Instead, he will continue his rehab, with a potential return against Molde in the Europa League next week.
The midfielder joins co-midfield player Mohamed Elneny and left back Sead Kolasinac on the sidelines. The latter pair are currently following COVID-19 protocols after testing positive while on international duty, though Arsenal have confirmed that both players are asymptomatic.
Gabriel Martinelli, who had been a long term injury absentee, might hand Arteta a boost. The gifted Brazilian forward was sidelined with a serious knee injury but had made significant progress in training.
Arsenal plans to reintegrate him into full team sessions over the next two weeks. It may be exactly what Arteta’s goal-shy attack requires. They have managed just nine goals in eight Premier League games so far.
In addition, defender Pablo Mari is back in full training as well after being sidelined since June with an ankle ligament injury.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
