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Former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell wants Mikel Arteta to resist the urge to play their star midfielder, Thomas Partey, against Liverpool. The Gunners host Liverpool on Saturday in a late kick-off in the Premier League.
Kevin Campbell played 228 games for Arsenal, scoring 46 goals. He does not want the Arsenal boss to risk the star, who earns £200k per week given that he’s just returned from injury.
The former Gunner told Curtis Show Tv:
“Don’t play him. Keep him on the bench so we can bring him on in the second half or something. I don’t want to risk him. I know it’s a massive game. He’s not played. There’s many games coming up and what we don’t want to do is take a risk.”
Partey did not link up with his country in the just concluded international break as Arsenal wrapped him in cotton wool. But he could be fit to feature against Liverpool, according to reports.
Recurring Injury concerns for the Arsenal midfielder
Partey has impressed massively whenever he's played for Arsenal. However, it’s been suggested that the Ghanaian is yet to get to grips with the physicality of the Premier League. This is owing to the massive number of games he's missed since making the £45 million move from Atletico Madrid in 2020.
But the Arsenal enforcer has always been desperate to play. It’s a desire that Arteta has seemingly welcomed as witnessed in the game against AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup in September.
The former Atletico man was a doubt for that match. However, after passing a late fitness test, Arteta elected to throw him straight into the foray. But the decision was not entirely on the gaffer’s hands as he later explained.
Arteta told Sky Sports:
“He needs games and he needs rhythm. He was demanding to play because he believes that he is still catching up a little bit. We believe that the rhythm of matches is nothing like any training session. He was so willing to play so I think it was very beneficial for him."
Pressed on whether he risked the midfielder by starting him, Arteta had this to say:
“We didn’t think so and that’s why we made the decision to play him. But there’s always a risk when you play a match or when a training session with the intensity that we train. We believe it was the right thing to do and he was really pushing for it so I think it worked out well.”
How Partey has won over his boss
After Arsenal came out on top in a tough away match at Turf Moor in September, it was Partey who his boss singled out for praise.
“He’s really important because he is the anchor. He is the one that needs to read what is happening and make the rest better," Arteta told Arsenal’s official website.
He further added:
“That's his biggest job, to get the right balance in the team and get the right fluidity in the team so we can attack. How he managed the transitions was top, he has the pressing and the charisma, and then he struggled at the end. He could not finish the game because he was cramping. But that will come up.”
This came after Arteta had implored Partey to ‘boss’ the Arsenal midfield ahead of their September 18, 2021 home game against Norwich.
“He is a player that has to be one of the leaders, he has to be the boss in midfield and one of the senior players that has to carry responsibility out of the young players and lead. We have been missing that big time," Arteta said.
He added:
“He is a player that has that winning culture, because he has won a lot in the game already, and to have these kind of players in the team is extremely important. So he has got a huge role to play in the team.”
It was to be the midfielder’s first game since succumbing to a reckless Loftus Cheek challenge against Chelsea in pre-season on August 1, 2021.
Needless to say, he rose to the challenge as Arsenal finished 1-0 for their first win of the season.
Who else can Arsenal play in midfield?
Should Partey not be fit to start, Arteta has little to worry about. He has able deputies in Sambi Lokonga and Ainsley Maitland Niles who have both impressed in recent outings.
Martin Odegaard has had a promising start to the season. Though it's since proven to be a false dawn, the Norwegian captain, together with Mohamed Elneny, will be more bodies to provide Arteta with adequate cover.
