Thomas Partey must choose his next club wisely - John Paintsil

Former Black Stars defender, John Paintsil, has urged Thomas Partey to carefully consider his next club and prioritize regular playing time.

Partey, who has reportedly requested a transfer from Arsenal, is attracting interest from Italian Serie A side Juventus and a club from Saudi Arabia.

While a move to Saudi Arabia seems likely, Paintsil stressed the importance of Partey choosing a club where he would have ample playing time, as it would also benefit his national team commitments.

Paintsil, who faced challenges due to limited playing time during his career, emphasized that Partey should make his decision based on his own comfort and playing prospects.

"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 said.

The former Ghana international played for English Premiership sides Fulham, West Ham United and Leicester City between 2006 and 2012.

During the 2022-23 season, Partey formed a crucial midfield partnership with Granit Xhaka for Arsenal. However, the club's pursuit of midfielders Declan Rice and Kai Havertz could potentially reduce Partey's playing time and push him down the pecking order in manager Mikel Arteta's plans.

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