Mikel Arteta has finally found his perfect Thomas Partey replacement for Arsenal

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At the start of the summer, Thomas Partey’s Arsenal future seemed fairly significant in terms of the club’s transfer plans.

Despite his quality, Partey only played 16 games last term and it felt as if Mikel Arteta couldn’t rely on the 31-year-old at any point of the season.

TBR Football recently shared that Arsenal expect Partey to leave this summer, believing that interest will eventually arrive. 

However, if a satisfactory approach doesn’t come, then the club still plan to crack on with their plans, explaining why Mikel Merino is close to joining Arsenal.

Partey now has just one-year left on his Arsenal contract and if he stays then it appears as if he will be treated as something of a luxury, rather than a fundamental part of plans.

And whilst Arsenal will take to the transfer market as stated, it seems as if they may already have a long-term replacement for Partey coming through on evidence of pre-season minutes in the USA.

Ethan Nwaneri stole a lot of the headlines stateside, but it’s his 17-year-old teammate Myles Lewis-Skelly who could come in clutch in this regard.

Myles Lewis-Skelly can be Arsenal’s new Thomas Partey

Arteta has been experimenting with Lewis-Skelly’s positioning in the US, attempting to use the midfielder as an inverted full-back.

Lewis-Skelly has previously earned his plaudits as a central midfielder, celebrated for his ball progression and passing range – remind you of someone?

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In the youngster’s Arsenal career thus far, his 20 odd minutes against Liverpool in the early hours of Thursday morning felt most significant.

Lewis-Skelly played with authority and control when stepping into midfield from left-back, pinging passes through the lines like Partey so often does.

The 17-year-old showed an excellent understanding of space and always had an idea of what he was going to do before he received the ball.

Of course, with Lewis-Skelly playing as a left-back, some might think that ruins the idea of the youngster being Partey’s long-term replacement.

But then it should be remembered that Partey started the 2023/24 season as a right-back in Arteta’s first eleven against Nottingham Forest, something we may have often seen were it not for injuries.

The Arsenal manager evidently sees a synergy between the two positions, and is perhaps best preparing Lewis-Skelly for long-term success.

All that being said, and in terms of comparisons, it seems as if Arsenal have also found the next David Silva in their academy.