After weeks of speculation about his future, Thomas Partey will remain at the club, according to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
Partey’s tardy entrance to the US touring team has increased transfer rumors about him, including offers from Saudi Arabia.
But Arteta quashed any such notion of the midfielder leaving on the eve of their preseason game against Manchester United in New Jersey.
When asked if he anticipated Partey staying, Arteta responded: “Yes. Every time I spoke to him, his will is stay to with us. There is nothing there at all.”
“Without question, Thomas Partey is a super important player for us and for me. We want him to be in the team, that’s for sure.”
After humiliating the MLS All-Stars 5-0, Arsenal’s match against United marks their first official preseason match. The manager of the Gunners is enjoying it.
‘Tomorrow’s test is going to be something very different, and obviously they are big rivals for us in the Premier League,” he said.
“It is going to be amazing to play in the MetLife Stadium, an incredible atmosphere and it’s going to be a really good test to see where we are.”
Regarding how this season’s Premier League opponents will approach them, he added: “I think 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.”
“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.”
Oleksandr Zinchenko, a defender, spoke movingly about an upcoming charity game that he helped organize in an effort to raise money for the people of Ukraine.
The goal of the Game4Ukraine, which will take place on August 5 at Stamford Bridge and pit Team Zinchenko against Team Shevchenko, led by the renowned striker Andriy Shevchenko, is to raise money to support the reconstruction of a school that was hit by missiles.