July 26 (IANS) The 2023/24 Premier League season saw Arsenal and Manchester City locked in a season-long title race that came down to the final day when the Cityzens clinched the trophy by two points. Arsenal have now put those memories behind them and will be hoping to get over the hump this time around and hopefully win the league title for the first time in 21 years. Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has opened up on his emotions over the team’s failure in the last edition. “It hurt me a lot. Now we need to avoid the mistakes of last season,” Partey told Hayters TV. Thomas Partey spent most of the 2023/24 season on the sidelines with a groin injury and then a hamstring problem. As a result, he was absent from October to March and started just nine league games. His absence has surely seen him fall down the pecking order with immense depth in the midfield role with Odegaard, Declan Rice, Jorginho in the squad and it is also reported that the team will try to bring in Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino. “We have a lot of players in the middle. We have a lot of players in that position. Jorginho is playing well, I am playing well. Dec (Rice) is there, Martin (Odegaard) is there. We also have other players who can come in and make the difference. We have to compete with each other and at the end of the day it is the Mister (Arteta) who decides. With this kind of competition, we can get to the level we want. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who plays. I think the most important thing is for the team to achieve its objective,” added Partey. Arsenal are currently on their pre-season tour in the US. They were handed a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth and will face Manchester United and Liverpool in the coming days. The team begins its 2024/24 Premier League campaign against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium on August 17. “I’m trying my best to be more consistent and stay fit. It’s a daily job. I can’t give up and I need to keep going. It’s life! Things happen and sometimes they’re things you can’t control. I have to keep going and keep fighting. Every time I fall, I have to get up and fight. That’s the mentality I have. I also believe that whenever I can help the team, that’s what I have to do,” he concluded. –IANS aaa/bc
(tags to translate)Thomas Partey
