This was enough to unsettle his boss, with the Arsenal manager casting doubt over Thomas Partey’s future at the club after little more than two years in North London.

The January transfer window is set to open with Partey and Italy international Jorginho, also available for pre-contract agreements from abroad.

Arteta has hinted that both midfielders could leave this summer as he praised them in a press conference.

“Yeah of course, when that situation is in the contract, anybody can do it,” Arteta added. “it’s just being near them and talking with them to also realise what they’re thinking or what their plan is as well as ours, so i don’t know – we decide best for everyone there. But they are two players I am very, very pleased with.

They are such an asset in the squad. The Ghana international was a marquee signing when he joined Arsenal in 2020 from La Liga outfit Atlético Madrid for £45 million. But injuries have seen him play only a handful of games so far this season, and ask questions about where his future lies at the club.

Meanwhile, Arteta said his attention was on them being in the right frame of mind as Arsenal move into a crunch stage of their campaign. “Particularly the mind frame that I want to give them when it’s probably one of the most important parts of our season,” he said.