The so-called struggles of Thomas Partey have been greatly exaggerated.
Yes, the £50 million man has suffered his fair share of injuries since swapping Atletico Madrid for Arsenal.
But, when fit and firing, Partey has looked every-inch the sort of midfield powerhouse the Gunners have been crying out for since the breakup of the Vieira-Gilberto heyday; slamming into tackles one minute, breaking the lines with pinpoint through-balls the next.
Then again, after a season interrupted by injuries, it would make sense for Arsenal enhance their engine room with another deep-lying midfielder capable of stepping in whenever Partey is unavailable.
Especially with Dani Ceballos heading back to Real Madrid and Mo Elneny the very definition of ‘good, not great’.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the search for Partey’s back-up – or perhaps his midfield partner, depending on the quality of the opposition – has led Arsenal back to a familiar hunting ground: La Liga.
Real Betis’s Argentine international Guido Rodriguez appears to be the priority.
Estadio Deportivo backs up these claims, reporting that the Gunners have made contact with the 26-year-old to gauge how he would feel about swapping Andalusia for North London.
Rodriguez has been in superb form since the turn of the year, with Betis rising from the lower-reaches of mid-table to the Europa League places. Impressively, he averages more tackles per game (2.5) than Partey himself (WhoScored).
Aggressive, strong and technically gifted; the 6ft 1ins snapper looks perfectly suited to life in the Premier League too.
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