Thomas Partey admits he had a challenging first year at Arsenal but is confident of showing his best form next season, while he finally clarified what happened when Mikel Arteta ‘pushed’ him back onto the pitch against Tottenham.
The Ghana international swapped Atletico Madrid for north London last summer in a £45million deal, though he was only able to show flashes of his talent as a string of injuries curtailed his playing time.
Partey started just 18 times in the Premier League and was constantly having to build up match sharpness, but the 28-year-old is confident he has overcome his issues – both injury and adaptation – and will enjoy a much better second season.
Asked how he rated his first season with the Gunners, Partey told Ghana’s TV3: ‘Well I think everybody has seen it, there’s been ups and downs.
‘We’ve had good times and bad times, but this is my first season and I think I had to adapt to how they play, get used to my teammates.
‘I think now I’m getting used to them and I know with hard work everything will be okay for the next season.
‘Of course, it’s not easy. The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world and if you want to be there you have to be able to do everything well. So I like this challenge and I’m ready to do everything.’
Asked if he feels he has overcome his injury problems, Partey continued: ‘Yes. When you see the last few games I was able to play more than 70 minutes, some matches 90 minutes. So I think I’m feeling good.’
Partey suffered one of his worst moments in an Arsenal shirt in the north London derby, trying to leave the pitch with an injury just as Harry Kane doubled Spurs’ lead as his manager seemingly tried to push him back on, but the midfielder insists that was not entirely accurate.
Asked about the incident, Partey explained: ‘Well I think people misunderstood that situation.
‘I remember when I first took the ball from one of the Spurs players and then I felt my calf, and then I was walking straight to the bench. And then I didn’t know what happened, I saw them attacking us.
‘Arteta did not push me. I tried to run back to try and save the situation but I could not because it was very painful. And then the media took it and everything went viral.’
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