Thomas Partey to attend court after Villarreal clash with Tottenham Hotspur | OneFootball

Villarreal will return to Spain after their Champions League debut this season on Wednesday, following their clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night. However former Arsenal player Thomas Partey, one of the major talking points ahead of the game, will not be with them.

Partey was let go by Arsenal at the end of his contract this summer, after being charged with five counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault in 2021 and 2022. The Ghana international has defended his innocence.

Thomas Partey to remain in London after Spurs clash

As his teammates head back to Castellon, Diario AS say that Partey will remain in London. On Monday, Partey and his lawyers held a meeting on at Villarreal’s team hotel, to prepare him for a court hearing on Wednesday. They say that Partey will stay in the English capital to attend his summons.

Image via Villarreal CF

Tense press conference with Marcelino Garcia Toral

On Monday, Villarreal manager Marcelino Garcia Toral grew increasingly frustrated with the number of questions about Partey.

“I am totally convinced that he is mentally prepared and technically prepared to play tomorrow night,” Marcelino told ESPN.

“For sure he will be ready. We are very happy Thomas is with us for his football capacity, football ability and his presence as a human. He is a great player with a lot of experience. He has played for a lot of top clubs. We know he has a great level. I think he will get back to a top level. I am very happy he is with us in the team.”

He was keen to adhere to the club line, that Partey is innocent until proven otherwise. The Yellow Submarine put out a statement defending their decision to sign him at the time.

“We’re interpreting stuff about and talking about a player that could be totally in-no-cent. We’re playing a game of football tomorrow where the important thing is football. This is where football was invented after all. Do you understand me? Thank you.”

Marcelino assured that Partey, who started against Atletico Madrid on Saturday night, would be in the squad to face Tottenham.

“He is with the group, he is available and tomorrow if nothing happens to a player in terms of fitness, he will be with all of us. We are talking more about Thomas than the game.”

Backlash against Villarreal

While in Spain the reaction to his signing has been limited beyond some vociferous corners of the Villarreal support, the international reaction has been far more damning. The Athletic report that while many players and Marcelino are happy to have a player alongside them that can help them win games, some players have expressed concerns about having Partey as a teammate.