Arsenal expect key pair to be fit for next game despite pulling out of internationals
Arsenal have received a major boost over the availability of Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey, who both pulled out of international duty this week through injury and illness respectively
by Matthew Cooper · The MirrorArsenal are reportedly expecting both Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey to be fit for their next Premier League game, despite the pair pulling out of international duty.
Havertz withdrew from Germany's squad for their upcoming Nations League matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Netherlands with a knee injury, with Mainz star Jonathan Burkardt picked as his replacement.
Partey, meanwhile, pulled out of the Ghana squad ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sudan with "medical issues". However, the Standard report that Arsenal are confident the pair will be available for the next game against Bournemouth on October 19.
The report also states that the reason Partey will not be playing for Ghana is because of an illness. The news comes as a major boost for the Gunners, who have had the likes of Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu all miss games through injury recently.
Havertz in particular has been key to Arsenal's Premier League title push this season, having scored four goals in seven games so far. Only Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer, Bryan Mbeumo and Luis Diaz have scored more.
He has also found the back of the net in his last seven games at the Emirates, with manager Mikel Arteta hailing Havertz after he scored in their 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday. "You can tell [his confidence has grown], he takes the ball and he runs with the ball," Arteta said.
"He's on high press, he goes full gas, the way he holds the ball, the position he takes in the box. He's an attacking midfielder, he plays as a nine, you don't know where he is, that's his football brain.
"His focus now is 'I'm going to win the game, I'm going to do it' and that's a different thing. When he's practising, he wants more and he's not satisfied with what he's doing because there is still, I think, another level from him.
"Obviously, he's surrounded by incredible players but something has changed in him and that confidence, you really sense it and now he's putting it into games and he's winning football matches which is great."
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