Arsenal can finally replace Partey with “world-class” £50m upgrade

The Arsenal of today are a million miles from the team Mikel Arteta took over in December 2019.

The former Gunners captain has changed the club’s mentality from top to bottom and, just as significantly, has overseen wholesale changes to the squad and first team.

However, even during his five years at the helm, the Spaniard has replaced the transfers he made earlier in his tenure, with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko now firmly behind Kai Havertz and Riccardo Calafiori in the pecking order.

This ability to improve on his own decisions and admit when his signings can be upgraded has helped Arteta keep the team fresh and ever-evolving, and based on recent reports, he could do the same with Thomas Partey in 2025.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are one of three Premier League clubs interested in Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, with Arteta particularly keen on the player.

Alongside the Gunners, the report claims that Liverpool and Manchester City are also monitoring the midfielder, who is supposedly ‘counting his days in the Spanish first division.’

While this extra competition is far from ideal, the good news is that it won’t cost the North Londoners an arm and a leg to sign the 25-year-old, as the report confirms that his release clause stands at €60m, which is about £50m.

While it could be a tricky transfer to get over the line, and there are still questions over his desire to leave Spain, it’s a deal worth pursuing, even if it could be bad news for Partey’s chance of a new deal.

How Zubimendi compares to Partey

So, let’s say that Arsenal can convince Zubimendi to come to the Emirates next season. That could, in turn, see Partey leave the club in the summer without being offered another deal, as, due to the Spaniard’s ability to play in central and defensive midfield, he’d almost certainly be seen as an upgrade.

However, is that entirely fair? How do the two internationals stack up against one another? Unfortunately for the former Atlético Madrid star, things don’t look particularly great for him when we compare the pair’s underlying numbers from this season, even though he’s looked reasonably impressive for the Gunners this term.

For example, even though the Ghanaian international comes out ahead in some metrics such as tackles and interceptions, he ranks second best for most others, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, shots on target, key passes, shot-creating actions, blocks, errors leading to a shot, successful take-ons, ball recoveries and aerial duels won, all per 90.

When you take into account this significant statistical advantage the “world-class” Spaniard has, as dubbed by former teammate Kieran Tierney, combined with the fact he’s six years younger than the Gunners ace and substantially less injury-prone, it becomes much clearer who would be the better long-term option for Arteta’s side.

Now, this doesn’t mean the North Londoners couldn’t offer Partey a short-term deal in the summer to keep him in the squad – his performances so far this season warrant as much – but if they can get their hands on Zubimendi, then they should, as he’s an ideal upgrade on the 31-year-old.