5 players Arsenal could sign to replace Thomas Partey | OneFootball

Thomas Partey has been one of Arsenal's best players whenever he has turned out for the Gunners over the last few years. The issue is he hasn't been able to feature all that often due to injuries. The Ghanian has had trouble staying healthy and after another injury has ruled him out until the new year at the very least, Mikel Arteta's side are once again left trying to fill the hole he's left.

His lack of availability is becoming a problem for the club and, considering he's now 30 years old, it could be time for the North London team to find someone to replace him. Luckily, the January transfer window is on the horizon and that's where we come in. We've decided to take a look at five possible midfielders that the Gunners could bring in to replace Partey. Here they are.

Douglas Luiz

Initially linked with him in the summer, Arsenal would be wise to really push on and sign Douglas Luiz in January. The midfielder has been in exceptional form for Aston Villa so far this season and is showing no real signs of slowing down anytime soon. With five goals and two assists already, he's performing at an incredibly high level and would certainly add some quality to the Gunners' midfield.

Arsenal are reportedly still interested in signing Luiz, so this one could actually be on the cards, and they'd be wise to get a deal over the line. With Partey set to miss serious time once again, there's no one better suited to come into the team at the Emirates and make an immediate impact like the Villa man is. According to reports, he's going to cost the club around £60m, so it remains to be seen whether they are willing to splash that sort of cash, but he'd almost certainly be worth it.

His talent continues to keep getting better with every passing week, and it's almost scary to think about the heights that he could reach if he's given a shot at Arsenal and gets to play alongside the likes of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice in the club's midfield. Things could get seriously impressive.

Kalvin Phillips

It's safe to say that Kalvin Phillips' move to Manchester City has not quite gone to plan. Not even close, actually, and he's found minutes in the side extremely hard to come by since his transfer last year. This campaign, the former Leeds United man has played just 216 minutes across all competitions for Pep Guardiola's club. Sitting outside of the team, he's already admitted he's going to need to find a new home in an effort to gain more playing time and Arsenal could be the perfect opportunity for him.

His outings for England have shown that he's still very capable of turning out top-level performances and can thrive in a team of superstars, so he'd fit in well at the Gunners. Whether it's temporarily on a loan deal, or more permanent, Phillips would come into Arteta's team and fit seamlessly. He'd replace Partey with no real issues and the move would help the club out, but also offer his career a lifeline. It's a win-win, really, and considering they're already reportedly interested in his services, we might see this deal get over the line soon.

With how little he seems to be trusted at the Etihad, we can't imagine he'd be all that expensive either, which would be a bonus for an Arsenal team that spent big in the summer and might be a little reluctant to splash that sort of cash again so soon afterwards. With the Euros on the horizon, Phillips will want to be playing at the highest possible level to make sure he earns a spot on the England plane for the tournament and this would be the perfect opportunity for him to remind everyone why he was so highly regarded during his time at Leeds. He's still only 27 years old too, so there's still plenty of time for him to turn his career around.

Martin Zubimendi

Rather than go with Premier League-proven talent, Arsenal could turn their attention to someone overseas and Martin Zubimendi is a superb option at Real Sociedad. The talented 24-year-old has been superb for several years now in Spain and would offer an exciting, young, promising replacement for Partey.

He's already been linked to the Gunners too, with numerous reports suggesting they may approach Real Sociedad about a move for him in January. With three goal contributions this season so far, he'd offer a little offensive output to go with his very solid defensive capabilities. The Spaniard has also played at least 40 games in all three of the last seasons, demonstrating his ability to stay healthy and available, something the Gunners would appreciate after dealing with Partey's injury woes.

A move for Zubimendi would cost Arteta around £52m, so a deal for the midfielder wouldn't come cheap, but he'd offer a long-term solution to fill the hole that Partey leaves whenever he's out. It might not be the safe bet that Phillips and Luiz would potentially offer Arsenal, with their track records in the English top flight already, but if they get it right with the Real Sociedad man, then there's a chance he goes on to become a massive star for them in the future and far more than a role player. High risk, high reward.

Andre

Another promising young talent that Arsenal have been linked to is the Brazilian, Andre. The Fluminese man has been drawing the attention of a handful of different clubs, including the Gunners, and would add flair to the midfield and fill in nicely for Partey whenever he's out injured.

Again, he's already proven he's able to stay healthy, playing over 50 games in both of the last two seasons. The midfielder is a much bigger risk than anyone else on this list, having never played in Europe, but his potential is on display for all to see whenever he takes to the pitch, and he could make a massive difference for the Gunners if he's brought in.

They'll face stiff competition to bring him to the Emirates, though, with Chelsea also said to be really keen on landing his signature in the future. Still, he could be worth fighting for and, at just 22 years old, there's plenty of room for development if he is to join the team, and he could eventually become a fixture in the club's senior squad for the foreseeable future. Not a guaranteed success, but the potential reward far outweighs the risk.

Youri Tielemans

Similarly to Phillips, another man who isn't having the best of times in the Premier League right now is Youri Tielemans. After becoming a star at Leicester City, and seemingly being linked to every elite club in England for years, the Belgian eventually moved to Aston Villa last season on a free transfer once the Foxes were relegated to the Championship.

The move should have been an ideal one for both parties and everyone expected the midfielder to be a massive success at Villa Park. Instead, he's struggled to really settle in at the Midlands club and, as a result, his minutes in the first team haven't been great. He's been limited to cameos off of the bench late in games throughout the majority of the campaign and his career at the club already looks to be doomed.

This is why Arsenal should come in during the January transfer window and offer him a chance to rediscover the form he'd once shown at Leicester. Having been linked with him in the past, Arteta should revisit his interest in Tielemans, and he could be a very welcome addition to the team at the Emirates. Things might not have worked out for him at Villa, but it's pretty clear for all to see that he's still a very talented midfielder and could make a huge impact at the Gunners if given the chance.

While it's unclear what sort of move Arsenal will make in January, it's very clear that they need to do something and Partey is never going to be available on a regular basis to the club. His injury issues have made him an unreliable option to feature in the midfield, but considering he's also 30 years old, it's probably the right time for Arteta to start considering replacing him anyway. He won't be around forever, so they should bite the bullet and begin the process of finding his successor in the next transfer window.

The five names we've listed are pretty much the best options for the club to pursue going forward and while they'd all offer very different results for the team, we're almost certain that they'd all be more than up to the task of taking over from the Ghanian.