Arsenal’s Thomas Partey has been ruled out of this weekend’s clash with Leeds United after failing to recover from the thigh injury he picked up against Aston Villa.
The Ghanaian went off at half-time during the game against Dean Smith’s side and was replaced by Dani Ceballos.
He was kept back in the London by the club in the hope of rehabilitation, however, on a post on their website, Arsenal confirmed the £45m-rated Partey would be missing for this Sunday’s fixture.
Well, I can’t say I was too confident about a result when the fitness of the Ghana international was up in the air. However, now that his absence has been confirmed it’s looking incredibly unlikely that Arsenal come away from Elland Road with any sort of result.
Will Partey be a huge miss for Arsenal this weekend?
Yes
No
History isn’t on the side of the Reds, who have won just four of their last nine games up in Yorkshire prior to the side’s relegation in 2004. Add into that, the side’s current form and it’s not looking too pretty.
The Gunners were abysmal against Aston Villa as a mixture of high press and great attacking football down the wings meant Mikel Arteta’s side were made to look like a midtable side in their own backyard. Leeds have shown in their short time back in the top-flight that they will press pretty aggressively and with the Villains having caused so many problems, it’s easy to see why this game is pretty worrying for the north London outfit.
Partey would’ve been the perfect counter to any high press from Bielsa’s side given how easily he carries the ball through the thirds. He has shown how well he performs on the ball in his little time at the club, averaging the most dribbles per game. And when mixed with Mohamed Elneny, they proved the perfect partnership with the Egyptian’s energy and closing down stifling opposition, as seen in the dying embers against Manchester United.
The loss of Partey could well have tipped the scales the way of the newly-promoted outfit, but, in football you never know and Arsenal could even spring a surprise come Sunday.
In other news, Kevin Campbell has urged the club to sign this Scottish Premiership ace.
