Mikel Arteta addresses Thomas Partey's Arsenal future amid transfer speculation

Mikel Arteta has expressed his desire to keep Thomas Partey at the club, describing the Arsenal star as “a top-class player”.

gamewho has just over a year left on his contract, obtained his first start since August 2023 in Arsenal win 2-0 on luton city On Wednesday.

But the midfielder has battled injuries this season and has consequently struggled to gain minutes for the Gunners.

More recently, a hamstring injury kept him out of the team for 19 games.

With his contract expiring at the end of next season, there has been speculation that the Ghanaian could soon fly into Arsenal's nest.

When asked if Partey was someone he would like to keep at the club for the long-term future, Arteta responded jovially.

Arteta said: “He better keep his head here because we are playing for big things and that's what we hope for!”

On a more serious note, he continued: “We need him because he is a top player, a very important player for us and you can also see on the pitch the kind of impact he can have for us.

“He is our player, he has one more year on his contract and I am very happy with him.”

However, speaking after the win over the Hatters, Partey insisted his commitment to the Gunners was genuine.

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He said: “My head is always here. This is where I choose to play, I am very happy every time I am on the field.”

“I know there has been a lot of speculation, but for me I am very happy to be here and continue playing for this club. I think that with my contract I still have until the end of the season.

“I have to give my best and try to perform at the highest level and I think the most important thing is to be available at all times.”

Arsenal are two points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League table and one point ahead of last year's winners Manchester City.

They will then face a League trip to Brighton on Saturday, April 6 before attempting to continue their Champions League campaign in the first leg of their quarterfinal against Bayern Munichlive on talkSPORT on Tuesday 9 April.