MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 21:57:30| >> :120:7943:7943:

How Arsenal could line up with Thomas Partey

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.



ARS XI w/TP

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.

ID:397471: cacheID:397471:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5960:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pictured in Europa League action in February 2020
Read Next:
Arsenal's most valuable players
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Result
Blanch
Nadal
1 0
6 6
Result
Cachin
Ofner
6 6
3 3
Result
Elahi Galan
Bautista-Agut
64 6 1
77 4 6
Result
Gasquet
Sonego
2 5
6 7
Result
Hanfmann
Mensik
4 63
6 77
Result
Koepfer
Carballes Baena
1 6 65
6 3 77
Result
Kovacevic
Medjedovic
6 5 4
3 7 6
Result
Lajovic
Monteiro
4 3
6 6
Result
Machac
Ruusuvuori
6 1 6
4 6 2
Result
Michelsen
Fonseca
6 0 2
4 6 6
Result
Nishioka
Auger-Aliassime
6 1 4
4 6 6
Result
O'Connell
Arnaldi
4 1
6 6
Result
Purcell
Giron
4 6 77
6 4 62
Result
Ramos-Vinolas
Kotov
3 4
6 6
Result
Tabilo
Cobolli
7 4 4
5 6 6
Result
Zhizhen
Kecmanovic
3 2
6 6
Result
Azarenka
Maria
6 6
3 1
Result
Eala
Cirstea
3 78 4
6 66 6
Result
Annie Fernandez
Potapova
7 6
5 3
Result
Gauff
Rus
6 6
0 0
Result
Keys
Camelia-Begu
77 78
63 66
Result
Podoroska
Navarro
2 1
6 6
Result
Karolina Schmiedlova
Jabeur
4 7 3
6 5 6
Result
Swiatek
Wang
6 6
1 4
Result
Sorribes Tormo
Svitolina
6 7
3 5
Result
Vekic
Sakkari
3 2
6 6
Result
Arango
Yastremska
6 5 4
0 7 6
Result
Osaka
Samsonova
2 6 5
6 4 7
Result
Ostapenko
Bouzas Maneiro
6 6
3 1
Result
Haddad Maia
Errani
6 6
3 2
Result
Lourdes Carle
Kudermetova
6 6
4 4
Result
Mertens
Stephens
6 3 1
3 6 6
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!