Everything kicked off surrounding the Thomas Partey to Arsenal rumours on Wednesday, so let’s round up all we know so far.
The whole situation kicked off when Jacob Partey, Thomas’ father, told a South African radio station his son is in talks with Arsenal.
“I called my son after hearing the rumours and he told me that the rumours are true,” Jacob Partey said. “He told me they are holding talks between him and Arsenal. It all depends on the offer Atletico are demanding.
“If he goes to Arsenal, fine, they have a lot of supporters in Ghana. I will be happy if he decides to move to Arsenal. What they are discussing now is how Atletico will release him.”
TheAFCBell added some further information in a post on their website. They wrote that Thomas Partey wants to leave and join Arsenal. Talks are ongoing over the last few weeks, with Atletico showing some flexibility in fee negotiations.
An offer of a loan with an obligation to buy is still an option, and Partey’s agent reportedly hinted they aren’t happy with Atletico’s contract extension offer.
JJSports, Partey’s representatives, then spoke out to deny the rumours. Marca quote them as saying “it’s totally untrue”. However, TheAFCBell responded to that quote to say that despite the denial, they’ve conclusively confirmed their information.
Next, Di Marzio journalist Francesco Porzio weighed in. He said the agent’s statement is ‘worthless’, and just a transfer market game. Arsenal are in the picture and in contact with the player’s camp, whatever they claim.
Where does that leave us?
It really depends on who you believe. If you trust the agent’s public statement, it’s all just baseless speculation. If you believe the player’s father, they’re in talks over a transfer. The same goes for TheAFCBell and Francesco Porzio.
Certainly, there’s a bit too much smoke from reliable sources to suggest there’s no fire at all. At the very least, I believe it’s true that Arsenal hold an interest and have made some kind of contact with the player and his club.
Past that, it’s anyone’s guess. Maybe they really are in ongoing talks, or maybe Atletico are trying to ignore Arsenal and focus on Partey’s extension.