Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey will not be sidelined for long, having suffered an ankle injury in a friendly against Chelsea, as per Goal journalist Charles Watts.
The Gunners had to endure a 2-1 defeat on Sunday against their London rivals. Kai Havertz got on the scoresheet for the visitors midway through the first half. Substitute Granit Xhaka equalized for Mikel Arteta’s side in the second half before Tammy Abraham scored the winner, capitalising on a bad mistake from Hector Bellerin.
The Ghanaian had to be taken off at the 40-minute mark, after sustaining an injury on his ankle post his collision with Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Despite the midfielder’s involvement being cut short, he was one of the brightest performers on the day for the north London club.
Speaking on his own YouTube channel, the journalist stated that the injury to the 28-year-old is not as bad as it looked at the first instance. The midfielder underwent a scan and it suggests that he will miss a few weeks which means the Ghana international will be sidelined for the opening game of the season.
The journalist claimed that Partey could possibly be back in the following fixture. Watts said:
“The early signs on Partey are mixed. He had his scans on Monday, he is going to miss the start of Arsenal’s season barring some sort of miracle.
“From both sides of things, Partey is certainly being ruled out here for a few weeks – Arsenal play Chelsea on August 22 and then Manchester City on August 28. Partey will be looking at one of those, as things stand as the game he could come back.
“Now, he will see another specialist this week. But the early signs are that it’s not as bad as it could have been. That’s what Arsenal are taking from the scan and people close to Thomas Partey are taking from it as well.
“Frustrating news that he’s got this injury. And, yes he’s going to miss the start of the season, but also some slightly positive news because there were genuine fears that this could be a slightly bad one – he won’t even miss a few weeks.”
Arsenal Fever View:
Losing Thomas Partey due to injury is a big blow for Arsenal. The midfielder had an injury-afflicted season last term for the north London club, and sustaining another injury setback is extremely unfortunate.
The Gunners are short in numbers in the midfield, and losing the Ghanaian for the start of the season is concerning for Arteta. With Granit Xhaka looking likely to stay put, the Emirates club would now be starting the season with the Swiss and Mohamed Elneny in the midfield pivot role. The injury to Partey has exposed the necessity of a new signing in that position.
Arsenal will be traveling to Brentford Community Stadium on 13th August to encounter the newcomers in the opening game of the Premier League season. The north London club will be facing Chelsea on the 22nd of August and the reigning Premier League champions Manchester City the following weekend.
The absence of Thomas Partey will be a big blow for Arteta, given the tough fixtures in the opening weeks. After finishing eighth in the previous two campaigns, the Gunners boss will be hoping to start the season positively to gain much-needed confidence. However, looking at the fixtures ahead and the injury to the Ghanaian, it would be extremely tough for the Emirates club to start the season on a good note.
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