Thomas Partey granted conditional bail

Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been granted conditional bail after being charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

The 32-year-old appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, charged with five counts of rape against two women, and a charge of sexual assault against a third woman.

The alleged offences took place between 2021 and 2022 when he was playing for the Gunners.

He was charged four days after leaving Arsenal when his contract expired at the end of June. His next appearance is at the Old Bailey on September 2.

Earlier, Mikel Arteta claimed that Arsenal followed the right processes when dealing with Partey, who was under police investigation while he was playing for the club.

Speaking in Singapore at the start of Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Asia, Arteta said: “The club was very clear in its statement.

“There are a lot of legal matters that are very complicated so I cannot comment on any of that.”

He was then asked: “A lot of fans have questions over the way in which the matter was handled by the club. Do you feel confident and comfortable that the club followed all the right processes in that?”

He responded: “100 per cent, yes.”

Partey had his best season since joining the Gunners from Atletico Madrid in 2020 for over £40million last term, making 52 appearances, scoring four goals and providing three assists across all competitions.

He played a pivotal role in Arsenal’s successful Champions League quarter-final victories over Real Madrid.