‘You can’t rely on him’ - Arsenal urged to sign alternative for in-form star

Despite an excellent start to the current campaign, Jenas feels Arsenal will hit the red zone if they don’t reinforce their midfield.

Arsenal must sign a new midfielder in the January transfer window as they ‘can’t rely on Thomas Partey’, according to former Tottenham star Jermaine Jenas.

The 29-year-old Ghana international scored the third goal of his Gunners career on Saturday with a long-range effort against Tottenham, which sent Mikel Arteta’s side on their way to a 3-1 derby win.

It was Partey’s second game back from a thigh injury and his performance prompted Arsenal fans to vote for him as the Man of the Match.

“You can’t rely on him,” Jenas said of Partey on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast, Vibe with Five.

“If I was [Arsenal technical director] Edu that would be the first position I’m going for in January, or the summer [transfer window], because you can’t rely on him.

“He is very important and you see the difference when he’s in there but the minute this thing starts to crumble, that position, [Gabriel] Jesus, and you end up with [Eddie] Nketiah, Fabio Vieira, this is a different game we’re talking about.”

Injuries have regularly dogged Partey at the Emirates since his €40 million transfer from Atletico Madrid in 2020.

The former Mallorca midfielder has made no more than 24 Premier League appearances in a single season for Arsenal, but he has started in five of the club’s eight league games so far this term.