Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, which shocked English football. The 32-year-old has just expired his contract at the Emirates on July 1 and became a free player.
Partey was charged with two counts of rape involving a woman, three counts of rape involving a second woman, and one count of sexual assault involving a third woman.
The Ghana midfielder will have to appear in court at the Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 (local time). All of Partey's crimes were allegedly committed in 2021 and 2022. London police said the investigations began in February 2022 after receiving their first report of the rapes.
Partey was questioned by the police twice. The first time was in February 2023 but was released later. The most recent time was in November 2024, when the third victim accused Partey of assault.
Police Inspector Andy furphy, who led the investigation team, said: "Our priority is still to support women who have spoken out. We would like to ask anyone affected by this case or anyone with information to discuss with us."
Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in September 2020 after the Gunners paid £45 million in release fees. The Ghana international has made a total of 167 appearances, scoring nine goals and providing seven assists.
Frequent injuries make Partey an unlikely option for manager Mikel Arteta, despite playing 52 games last season.
In a statement to the BBC regarding the incident, Arsenal said: "The player's contract ended on June 30. Due to ongoing legal procedures, the club cannot comment on the incident."
Arteta had hoped Partey would be offered a new contract this summer. However, with Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard both expected to join the club, the decision was made to part ways with Partey when his contract ended.
In the 2024-2025 Premier League, Partey still leads Arsenal with an average of 2.86 tackles per 90 minutes, and is also fifth in the team in terms of a duels advantage of 59%.
Currently, the midfielder is training in Ghana in the process of finding a new destination. Partey has recently won the title of Vietnam's Player of the Year.
