Amid the surge of new Arsenal players this season, another player who has been with the team before and has been equally closely watched is Thomas Partey.

Partey is the “big name” that Arsenal paid €50 million to buy from Atletico Madrid on the final day of last summer’s transfer window. 

The arrival of Partey has created a lot of hope for the Gunners because his years with the Atletico have proven his quality. Plus, at the age of being able to turn 27 years old

But the first season with Arsenal turned out to be a difficult one for Partey, both with personal injuries and in overall form.

Partey suffered four periods of injury, making only 33 appearances in all competitions. Only the Premier League He has only made 18 starts in the first half, not even half of it.

Back in the five previous seasons with Atletico, Partey had only missed five games due to injury, but his first season with the Gunners Injuries have taken the Ghana international midfielder away from the field in more than ten matches.

The more often there are injuries, the more it affects the form of play because of the lack of continuity. Sometimes I come back to play and I’m getting a familiar rhythm and I have to hurt again. So everything stopped.

Mikel Arteta once said of Partey’s physical condition: “His biggest problem is fitness. It’s been a problem for a long time. He didn’t have time to prepare for a high-level game. This obviously has an impact because the level of play in the Premier League is high. And fitness is the key.”

“He is not at the point where he can show the level of quality that he can. Until this point, he hasn’t had that possibility.” 

“It is difficult to assess because he had missed six months before. That was a long time.”

“Also, he has to adapt to the way we play, which is different from what he did at Atletico Madrid.”