Arsenal midfielder Should Be Offered a Pay Cut, Not a Pay Rise

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·19. Juni 2025

Arsenal midfielder Should Be Offered a Pay Cut, Not a Pay Rise

To be a big club, you have to think and act like a big club. If it is true that Thomas Partey is demanding a pay rise to stay at Arsenal, the club should wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

The current regime once promised that after the Aaron Ramsey saga, no player would again be allowed to run down their contract. Yet the Gunners have repeatedly lost serious money under this policy. We were forced into a swap deal for Alexis Sánchez when he had only months left on his deal. That was also why we felt pressured into paying over the odds to keep Mesut Özil.

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We quickly broke our own vow, repeating the same mistake with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It has become common practice to loan out players until they become free agents or even pay them off to terminate their contracts.

Arsenal must not repeat past mistakes

Partey is legally entitled to negotiate with other teams. In fact, he has been free to do so since January. This time next year, the same will apply to Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

No player is bigger than the badge. So even if we are talking about a talent like William Saliba, the moment it becomes clear that an individual does not intend to commit to the Emirates, we should sell. That is what a big club would do.

Partey’s representatives will now be seeking the highest offer available. Some clubs may be willing to invest a large salary in a 32-year-old due to the absence of a transfer fee. It would be negligent of his agent not to create a bidding war.

However, the player may have actually made our decision easier. The only realistic compromise for him to remain in North London would be to accept a pay cut. If he is expecting an increase, then both sides are clearly far apart in their expectations.

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Football is still a business

While I often question the ambitions of our owners and believe there is evidence that they hesitate to take the final step, I do respect that football is still a business. Like any business, the priority is to make money. On the pitch, we want success, but off it, decisions must make financial sense.

This time last year, Arsenal seemed comfortable with the idea that this would be Partey’s final season in red and white. And like any company, the Kroenke family have the right to assess an asset they have been paying £200,000 a week for over five years.

They are right to ask whether he has justified that level of pay. The answer, frankly, is no, not because of his ability, but due to his injury record, which of course is not his fault. Ironically, as soon as all parties reached that conclusion, he had one of his rare seasons of consistent fitness.

But we cannot commit over £200,000 a week based on one good year. We must consider his full record since arriving in England, especially with Martín Zubimendi now arriving.

To be a big club, you must act like a big club. Arsenal should determine Partey’s valuation and tell him: take it or leave it.

Let me know what your take is on the Partey situation in the comments below.

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