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Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor claimed that Arsenal need to sign a new midfielder in the winter transfer window in light of Thomas Partey's recurring injury issues.
Partey, who has three years left on his contract at the Emirates Stadium, joined the Gunners from Atletico Madrid for £45 million in the summer of 2020. The Ghanaian professional has been in and out of the first team due to a host of persistent injury problems. He has made only 63 appearances across all competitions for the team.
A powerful holding midfielder, Partey recently recovered from a thigh injury and made his comeback in a 3-0 win over Brentford on September 18. However, he picked up a knock while on international duty with Ghana before a friendly against Brazil on September 23.
Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor asserted that the Gunners need to dip into the market for a reliable midfielder in January. He said:
"Arsenal might look in January and think, 'You know what, we're third in the league, we're second in the league, we've got a really good chance this season of finishing in the top four.' And they will have to go out and get one. Their fans were very upset when the window closed and they didn't get one.
"Thomas Partey is always going to be injured. He's very injury prone. [Granit] Xhaka's been outstanding, [Albert Sambi] Lokonga is still up and coming but they need one more."
He continued:
"It was strange that they didn't fill that position. Especially when they know Thomas Partey is not going to play a lot of games this season because he's always injured. They need to definitely get one in during the January window."
Earlier this summer, the north London outfit were in pursuit of Leicester City's Youri Tielemans and Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz. Whether the club will renew their interest in the midfielders remains to be seen.
Arsenal are currently atop the Premier League standings with 18 points from seven matches. The club will next face London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz to join Arsenal next summer, says journalist
Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Simon Phillips claimed that Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz is more likely to join Arsenal than Chelsea on a free transfer next summer. He said:
"The situation there if he does become a free agent, Chelsea will probably have a look at it. But I think he’ll end up joining Arsenal."
Luiz is in the final year of his contract at Villa Park. He has registered seven goals and eight assists in 118 matches across all competitions for Aston Villa.
