Former Black Stars defender, John Paintsil, has urged Thomas Partey to consider playing time as a factor in choosing his next club following his speculated move away from Arsenal.
The midfielder was a key player for the Gunners as they neared a significant success of winning the Premier League since 2004 but unfortunately missed out to Manchester City in the last weeks of the competition.
Partey who had been a regular starter saw his position taken by new signing Jorginho in the last few matches raising concerns about his future under Arteta.
Clubs in Italy, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia have shown interest in the defensive midfielder leaving him in a dilemma to choose from a number of lucrative offers.
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While many have advised the Black Stars player to follow the money and move to Saudi Arabia, Paintsil believes, he must consider a number of factors like playing time as well as his future with the national team.
“Football is business, it’s not just playing for fun and as a player, you should know whether where you are going to play would guarantee you enough playing time.
“Especially, as a national team asset, you always need to be ready for the national call-up as well. So, if going to Juventus will help him get enough playing time to be ready or going to Saudi to get enough playing time to play for the national team, the decision lies on the player,” Paintsil told Graphic Sports.
Paintsil, who has also played in the Premier League for London clubs such as Fulham and West Ham, stressed that joining a Saudi Arabian club would not jeopardize Partey’s chances of playing for the national team.
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Partey’s move looks very likely with recent media reports suggesting Juventus’ keenness to win the race against clubs from Saudi Arabia. Arsenal have also intensified their attempts to get West Ham midfielder Declan Rice as a long-term replacement for the former Atletico Madrid man.