Thomas Partey, who was rumoured to be leaving Arsenal this summer, maintains he is “really happy” with the club.
The midfielder’s North London contract is about to expire in 18 months, and negotiations for a new agreement have not yet begun.
Partey has garnered attention from Saudi Arabian teams and Juventus in the past, and he has been linked to a possible summer departure from the Emirates Stadium.
After Arsenal’s 2-0 victory against Luton on Wednesday night, Partey responded to a question regarding his future, as quoted by Football.London:
“My head is always here. This is where I choose to play, I’m really happy every time I’m on the field.
“I know a lot of speculations have been going on, but for me, I’m really happy to be here and to continue playing for this club.”
Arsenal have plenty of options in midfield
The arrival of a new leader in the midfield in the form of Declan Rice and the impressive performances of Jorginho mean that the former Atletico Madrid midfielder Partey will now have to warm the bench.
How he performs in games those two will be rested in, will determine his future at the club.
This season, Partey has battled injuries, and his first start since August came in the win against Luton.
After struggling with his fitness, the 30-year-old is hoping that his issues are behind him now and he can contribute to the Premier League title fight.
“I feel really good,” he said. “It’s been a while. I’ve been trying to work a lot on my fitness and I’ve been through a lot of work. I’ve done all I can and I’m really happy to be back and I feel really good.
“I think everybody is working hard, we have a lot of great players. Jorginho’s there, Dec [Rice] is there and I think Mo [Elneny] as well and we have a lot of players in that position.
“I think it’s good to have everybody ready this time of the season and from the beginning when I tried everything I can to be available.”
Arsenal manager is looking to sign a new midfielder
The Gunners have been linked with a new midfield signing as Arteta aims to make his team even more competitive.
With Arsenal now fighting on two fronts; the Champions League and the Premier League, squad depth and quality are both required to challenge for those competitions.
The Premier League giants have been linked with moves for Douglas Luiz, Joshua Kimmich and Martin Zubimendi.
Partey will have to earn the trust of his manager between now and the end of the season to earn a new contract at the club.