It would be wrong to say that Arsenal is flying as we head into the next round of foreign games.

They are third in the Premier League, one point behind leaders Liverpool. However, their recent games have been a bit of a surprise, at least in their own country.

It was easy for Arsenal to beat PSG 2-0 in the Champions League, but Leicester and Southampton gave them trouble.

Mikel Arteta’s team was once again in control against the Foxes, but they let two goals in the second half slip away and the Foxes went on to win 4-2. They didn’t have to do anything spectacular to beat the Saints, but Cameron Archer gave them the lead.

It was Arteta’s choice to change things up by playing Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling instead of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.

Since both of them were needed just after the hour mark, the choice of the respective pair wasn’t justified.

That said, the experiment of playing Thomas Partey at right-back did work as he left the field having completed 95% of his passes, won six of his eight ground duels and completed four tackles. It wasn’t a bad day at the office, but it doesn’t mean he should have a long-term future at the Emirates Stadium.

The latest on Thomas Partey’s future

Partey has certainly been a Marmite character at Arsenal throughout the years. The midfielder’s performances are rather inconsistent but when he’s on-song, he’s a cracking asset and as he showed on Saturday afternoon, the Ghanaian is versatile too.

So, what does the future hold for the former Atletico Madrid man? He’s been linked with moves in recent transfer windows with Saudi Arabia noted as one possible destination.

However, he could now leave on a free transfer with his contract coming to an end in the summer of 2025. Partey might actually stay, though, with reports over the last week suggesting that talks are set to open regarding a new deal in north London.

Arteta still seems to rate the player, speaking incredibly highly of his attitude in training since arriving back for pre-season a few months ago.

“He’s a key player for us, he’s a massive player and we can see that week in week out. The way he came back post-holidays was probably the best condition that he’s been. Now it’s about managing him.” – Arteta on Partey.

That said, he will be 32 next season and perhaps Arsenal could do with a replacement.

Arsenal eyeing dream Thomas Partey replacement

Reports emerging from Spain have suggested that, despite spending £105m on Declan Rice and £31.6m on Mikel Merino, another midfielder could arrive in 2025.

That name happens to be Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni. The Frenchman hasn’t had the best of starts to the season in the Spanish capital and his head looks to be on the chopping block.

While fellow Premier League side Liverpool are said to be the frontrunners to sign the midfielder, Arsenal and Manchester United also want to bring him to English football in a deal that could be worth around €80m (£67m).

So, why would he be a good signing? Well, as analyst Raj Chohan called it, Tchouameni is “one of the best defensive midfielders on the planet.” Not bad praise, is it?

With Rice in the squad, Arsenal aren’t crying out for another big name but in their quest to topple Manchester City they are going to need all the quality they can find and the addition of the France international would be another major statement.

He’s featured 99 times for Madrid since signing from AS Monaco a few years back and has cemented himself as a key cog in Carlo Ancelotti’s juggernaut. What qualities could he bring to Arsenal, and how does he compare to Rice and Partey? We have the answer

What can we deduce from this? Well, precisely what Chohan said – that Tchouameni is among the most elite defensive midfielders in the game.

Compared to Rice he boasts a fractionally better pass success rate and over a long distance, he’s way ahead of Partey and the former West Ham man.