Thomas Partey has struggled for rhythm because of a demanding league, admits Mikel Arteta

With Arsenal signing Thomas Partey for £45 million, a lot was expected from the Ghanaian midfielder but he has failed to impact the club. Instead, the Gunners have been forced to play a large majority of the season without their top summer signing with Partey making just the 20 appearances for the club. That includes 13 in the league although a large portion of those have been off the bench.

It has seen many question the club’s decision to sign the midfielder given his injury issues but the midfielder has slowly and steadily began his comeback from injury. That has been confirmed by Mikel Arteta who admitted that the midfielder is finding his way back to his best. The Arsenal boss further added that Partey has struggled “rhythm-wise” over the last few weeks because he hasn’t trained enough or “enough preparation because the league is so demanding”

“I think Partey is getting close to his best. Rhythm-wise he has struggled a little bit in the last few weeks because he hasn’t had enough training sessions or enough preparation because the league is so demanding. But you can see his quality, you can see the presence and the special qualities he provides to the team when he is on the pitch,” Arteta said, reported Goal.

“I think it is just a fact of playing more games, getting some chemistry and understanding with his team-mates and getting as fit as he possibly can.”