My Arsenal Blog

The unpopular international break is currently in full swing and a number of Arsenal players have traveled to different corners of the world. Some have remained behind, simply not called up by their respective national teams, or nursing injuries.

One of the latter group is Thomas Partey, who came off at halftime in Arsenal’s shocking defeat at home at the hands of Aston Villa before the break with a hamstring problem. He posted on Instagram to show support to his international teammates and praised Andre Ayew who netted twice in a 2-0 victory for Ghana over Sudan.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal won their opening game of the 2020/21 Europa League campaign – a 1-2 triumph over Rapid in Vienna – on Thursday evening. After a goalless first half, Taxiarchis Fountas opened the scoring for the home side in the 51st minute, but goals from David Luiz in the 70th and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang four minutes later made sure the Gunners brought all three points back to north London. Midfielder Thomas Partey, signed from Atletico Madrid on the Deadline Day of the international transfer window, played the full 90 minutes and put in a great performance.  .......Read more here.....

After a mixed start to the new Premier League season, Arsenal will be getting back to their European roots tomorrow night as they prepare to take on Rapid Wien in their UEFA Europa League opener. Prior to that, however, Arsenal.com spoke to midfielder Granit Xhaka about his progress across the last twelve months – as well as how he feels about the signing of Thomas Partey.

Xhaka has been on a rollercoaster ride during his stint at the Emirates but now, it finally seems as if he’s been able to turn a real corner in North London.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday, courtesy of a 23rd-minute goal by Raheem Sterling. Many were expecting to see Thomas Partey, Arsenal’s latest big-name signing, start against Pep Guardiola’s team, but the midfield powerhouse only came in off the bench for the final eight minutes of the Etihad contest, replacing Granit Xhaka, and managed to earn his first yellow card in England towards the very end.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal fans are eagerly awaiting the return of Premier League football this weekend, but before then, there’s also been some real joy on display around the Emirates as Thomas Partey arrives in North London. The midfielder is expected to introduce some real intrigue and fascination into proceedings and while he may not be the only one that can make a difference within the club this season, he’s certainly going to be a leading force.

Prior to Arsenal’s tough game against Manchester City on Saturday, Partey has given his own thoughts on the move and what the future holds for him in English football.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal were obviously very interested in signing Houssem Aouar from Olympique Lyon this summer, and it’s easy to see the reasons for it. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder boasts considerable work-rate and tremendous skill, and would likely provide the team with additional creative sparks, helping the already formidable forward line shine even more.

Two bids for his services have been submitted and rejected by the Ligue 1 side during the summer transfer window, and Aouar stayed in Lyon. As he revealed to French outlet Telefoot (via the Mirror), he doesn’t mind staying there for another season; he is happy in the city and the club he calls his own. He also likes working with sporting director Juninho Pernambucano, with whom he spoke several times about a proposed departure which so far hasn’t come to pass.  .......Read more here.....

The dust has settled and the summer transfer window has closed once again following another hectic Deadline Day. While all of the fun and speculation will continue throughout the next few months, clubs around the Premier League now know what squad they’re going to be dealing with heading into the remainder of 2020 and beyond.

Arsenal are busy as they always tend to be on the final day with a trio of notable deals, both in and out, making the headlines. Mikel Arteta knew that he had to make some kind of statement in order to try and steady the ship at the Emirates, and in some ways, he did just that.  .......Read more here.....

Lucas Torreira is now very close to completing a loan move to Atletico Madrid, according to The Athletic. It has also been confirmed by Goal.com Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts. The Uruguay international will join Diego Simeone’s team for the remainder of the 2020/21 season, with Atletico having the option to make the deal permanent at the end of that period.

The deal hasn’t been agreed in every detail yet, nor has Torreira’s medical been scheduled, but the parties involved in the talks are close to reaching the agreement.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal have apparently been given a double blow in their effort to strengthen the midfield section. The two players they’ve recently been linked the most in that aspect are Houssem Aouar of Olympique Lyon and Thomas Partey of Atletico Madrid.

According to The Telegraph, Aouar and his representatives have been contacted by an unnamed Champions League club, and that puts a rather obvious obstacle in the Gunners’ path to bring him to the Emirates. One of those clubs could potentially be Bayern Munich, who lost the services of Thiago Alcantara to Liverpool a few days ago. It has also been claimed that Serie A champions Juventus have been monitoring the 22-year-old for a while with a view of taking him to Turin.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal have been heavily credited with interest in Thomas Partey of Atletico Madrid throughout the summer, and even before. The Spanish club reportedly rejected two offers from the Gunners early on, both consisting of a player+cash arrangement.

Atletico have so far been adamant that Partey would not be leaving unless a potential suitor triggers his release clause set at €50 million (£45m). They’ve been also hoping they would be able to convince the midfielder to sign a new contract, which would see that clause rise significantly, but they haven’t had any success in that area so far. Partey apparently remains open to other options and does not wish to recommit to the Rojiblancos at this point.  .......Read more here.....