Although Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey's future is still unknown, the newly appointed sporting director Andrea Berta may hold the solution to the player's contract impasse. The 31-year-old is coming to the end of what many people consider to be his best season since joining Arsenal, but it is unknown what the Gunners star will do next. His frustration at receiving a caution that prevents him from participating in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Paris St. Germain demonstrates his significance. The yellow card came in the 85th minute for a needless exchange with Dani Ceballos with the score 5-1 in Arsenal's favour.
He has become an integral member of Mikel Arteta's strongest team, making 45 appearances this season, and his absence against the Parisians will be a clear blow to their hopes of progressing to the final. It therefore seems inconceivable that he finds himself in such limbo but with Partey there is plenty to consider.
And the direction of travel thus far has been that the Ghana international would leave the Emirates Stadium when his contract expires at the end of the season.
When asked last week about Partey's contractual situation, Arteta gave a cryptic response. Asked if there had been any progress, Arteta said: "Yes, there is progress with all the players.
"I'll leave that up to the club and [sporting director] Andrea Berta to decide and talk about." Arteta responded, "The intention is very clear," when asked if the intention was to keep Partey. I'll leave that to Andrea and the club to take a step forward."
Even though there is only one month left in the season, Partey has not yet signed a new contract, which might give the impression that the team is not urgently trying to keep him. Whether Arsenal will offer Partey a new contract is up for debate. Whether that signals a significant change of approach for the Gunners remains to be seen, but according to well-placed sources Berta's arrival as sporting director has provided an alternative outlook as to whether Partey could have a future beyond the end of the season.
Berta and Partey have a long-standing relationship having worked together at Atletico Madrid and it was Berta who sanctioned Partey's move to Arsenal for £45m in 2020.
One factor Arsenal will be considering will be the expected arrival of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in the summer - would Partey still have a regular role in Arteta's team if the Spain international signed?
With that in mind, it makes little financial sense to offer Partey a contract similar to the £200,000-per-week he is currently earning if he will not be starting most weeks.
It is also key to remember that last season he managed just 15 appearances for the Gunners because of persistent injury concerns, though the groin surgery he underwent at the end of 2023 is understood to have cleared up those ongoing issues.
Nevertheless, his age and his previous injury record over the course of his stay have been considerations - among other factors - regarding any offer of an extension.
If Partey were to leave there is said to be growing interest from abroad.
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are said to be interested in signing him on a free transfer, and he has been linked with a return to Atletico Madrid. There is also believed to be interest from Saudi Arabia.
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