Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has defended his club's handling of midfielder Thomas Partey's case amid rape charges levelled against him. The Ghana international was charged to court earlier this month after leaving the Emirates earlier this month at the end of his contract.Arteta entertained questions from journalists during his press conference in Singapore, where his side have commenced pre-season camping. The Spanish tactician backed the club, revealing that they followed the due process in dealing with Partey's case and did nothing wrong. "The club was very clear in the statement. There are a lot of legal matters that are very complicated, so I cannot comment... Arsenal followed the right processes, 100 per cent."Earlier this month, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that Partey had been charged to court for five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The offences allegedly took place between 2021 and 2022, at a time during which the midfielder was on the books of Arsenal.Thomas Partey remained a regular in Arteta's teams during the course of his investigation, playing 52 times across all competitions in the 2024-25 season. The 32-year-old former Atletico Madrid man was in talks with the club over a new deal this summer before the talks broke down and he left for free.Arsenal (and Arteta) have been widely criticised for continuing to use Partey regularly despite being aware of the gravity of the accusations he faced. The Ghanaian international will appear at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on August 5 for his hearing.Arsenal defender makes bold promise ahead of 2025-26 seasonArsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes has issued a promise on what the club will achieve in the 2025-26 season. The Brazil international is a stalwart for the Gunners and one of the first names on their team sheet since his arrival from Lille. In an interview with BBC Sport, Gabriel pointed out that his side did everything they could to win titles in the last three seasons but put their lack of silverware down to bad luck. He revealed that the squad remains confident that this year will be different and they will win major honours. "I don't think we can give excuses. We did everything we could in the last three years. I feel like we had a little bit of bad luck sometimes, but we all believe that we can win big titles. We're focused on what our manager is telling us to do, and what we have to do, and what we have to improve. I think this year will be different."Arsenal have finished second in the Premier League in each of the last three seasons. They crashed out of the UEFA Champions League and Carabao Cup at the semi-final stage last season and have not won a major title since the FA Cup in 2020.