As of writing this article, it is exactly four years on from the deadline day signing of Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid, in early October of 2020 we triggered the Ghanaian’s release clause after a long search for a midfielder throughout that transfer window. I vividly remember waking up every two hours all night on the day of the deadline eagerly anticipating the announcement of the deal.
Such was how excited not just me but the majority of gooners were at the time considering the caliber of player we were about to bring to the club. We were all expecting him to play a significant role in getting us back to the top at the time of his signing, but four years on and though he has played a role in our resurgence, you can’t deem it as significant.
This is probably due to the fact that he has missed significant parts of the last few campaigns with niggling injuries that has seen his levels drop a bit as well, he is still a very good player mind you and he has shown that in this campaign with some really tidy displays in the middle of the park, with his best performance this season arguably being the home game against PSG recently. He has also proven his versatility and took to playing right back very well against Southampton.
His contract is set to expire after this season and given the fact that he has remained fit and consistently starting for us this season it should beg the question, should Arsenal extend the player’s contract?
Most gooners like me would absolutely love to see him put pen to paper on a new contract. On his day he is often unplayable at times, pushing the team forward with central progression from either dribbling up the pitch, or producing line breaking passes into the forwards in dangerous positions, while also breaking up play and perfectly shielding the backline in his defensive duties.
From the other side of the argument, I understand the fears of his age and decline over the years. Furthermore I perfectly understand that we should be a team that’s constantly looking to improve whatever slight weakness that we have, given that it will be an advantage for us in trying to win major silverware consistently.
Then again, Partey should be kept beyond this season due to how his experience might also prove invaluable to a relatively young side, like Jorginho is doing right now.
Whether he gets a contract extension is all down to the club and I will be perfectly fine with whatever decision they make regarding that, but let me know gooners, does Partey deserve a contract extension if he stays fit for most of this campaign?
