Arteta Assures Partey Will Stay at Arsenal Despite Rice’s Arrival

Despite Declan Rice’s arrival and speculation about Thomas Partey’s future at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has emphatically asserted that the 30-year-old midfielder remains a “super important player” for the club and will not be sold this summer.

Despite the British record £105m transfer fee paid to West Ham United for Rice, Arteta is resolute in his stance that Partey will stay at Arsenal

Arteta said in New Jersey during Arsenal’s tour of the US: “Yes [he will stay] – Thomas Partey is a super-important player for us and for me and we want him to be in the team, that’s for sure.

“They can play together [he and Rice]. That was in my plans – if you want to improve the squad and have more quality we need players who can play together and need players in the same positions who have to fight for their places – it’s something we haven’t had in the last few years.

“We want to improve that and that’s why we brought in Declan as well. Every time I spoke to him [Partey] and had a conversation with him, he’s ready to stay with us. For me, there’s nothing there at all.”

The Spaniard added: “What happened last season was probably necessary to learn the lessons that you have to learn to get better and be successful and achieve what we want to achieve,” the Spaniard said. “So it’s part of that road and that journey. We know the complexity of the league and the rivals that we have but I’m sure they don’t want to play us.

“[It will be] harder [to win it], for sure because the level is going to go up and the teams are getting better and the league is getting stronger so it’s only going to get harder. We have to be better and play better and do things better than we did last year and that’s what we’re working on at the moment.”