Thomas Partey not included in Ghana’s AFCON squad

Ghana has excluded Thomas Partey from their roster for the upcoming African Cup of Nations set to commence in the Ivory Coast on January 13.

Despite being initially included in Chris Hughton’s 55-player long list, the Arsenal midfielder, a regular for his nation over the past six years, has not sufficiently progressed in rehabilitating a longstanding thigh injury to participate in the tournament.

Explaining the omission of Partey, Hughton stated, “I've spent a significant amount of time with Thomas and Arsenal staff. They will approach this injury cautiously, and the player will do the same.

This is a significant injury for him, the most substantial he has experienced.” Partey encountered the issue during training ahead of Arsenal's October trip to Sevilla and has not yet returned to full training. Initially expected to return by early January, he has been sidelined since then.

The 30-year-old contributed to the first four games of the season, including the Community Shield, before a groin issue forced him out for a month. Partey made a brief 15-minute appearance in the 1-0 victory over Manchester City before his continued absence.

In his stead, Mikel Arteta has turned to summer signing Declan Rice to anchor the midfield, though the English international has experienced a dip in form recently.

With limited options for rotation, Jorginho is one alternative, but Mohamed Elneny, another choice, is unavailable for Arsenal as he is participating in AFCON with Egypt. More details about Partey's situation are expected to emerge later in the week when Arteta previews the FA Cup clash with Liverpool.

In other developments, Takehiro Tomiyasu has officially secured a place in Japan’s Asian Cup squad. The exact date of his departure is yet to be confirmed, as Arsenal aims to retain him until after the FA Cup tie with Liverpool on January 6th, with Japan's first game scheduled for January 14th.

As the transfer window opens, attention will be on whether Arsenal will be tempted to seek a midfielder.