IT’S PARTEY TIME!

THIS was what Mikel Arteta had envisaged all along. The poetry of Martin Odegaard and the robustness of Declan Rice harnessed by the glue, Thomas Partey — back after surgery to cure a long-term groin problem. This was the first time Partey had played back-to-back matches since August. And he was magnificent for the most part. If Arsenal are pipped to the title by Manchester City, Partey’s six-month absence provides valid mitigation.

• AS Michael Oliver blew for full time, the person in charge of the Tottenham sound system flicked on the music. Out blasted a song from Editors. The song: Munich. Arsenal recently crashed out of the Champions League against Bayern. Surely the choice of track here wasn’t a coincidence…

• TOTTENHAM chairman Daniel Levy is continuing his search for investors amid interest from across the Atlantic. Mail Sport knows of at least two US-based groups who have shown an interest in acquiring a stake in the club in recent months, having been made aware of the numbers in question. Levy confirmed talks with potential investors after the club recorded a post-tax loss of £86.8million for the year ending June 30, 2023.

• ARNE SLOT’S arrival at Liverpool this summer could have implications for Mikel Arteta. Arsenal assistant boss Albert Stuivenberg, who was born in Rotterdam, is a possible successor to Slot at Feyenoord. Stuivenberg was a youth coach at Feyenoord, eventually becoming their head of youth in 2001, and sources at De Kuip say he is admired at the club. The 53-year-old also started his short-lived playing career there. Of course, whether he would be prepared to leave this exciting Arsenal project is another question altogether.

• FANS yesterday stood for a minute’s applause in tribute to former Spurs player Joe Kinnear, who died earlier this month aged 77 following a battle with dementia. Kinnear won the FA Cup, the League Cup twice and the UEFA Cup at Spurs, and later managed Wimbledon and Newcastle.