Ghana and Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of rape and sexual assault.
The 32-year-old, who left Arsenal in June after his contract expired, is facing five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to alleged incidents that took place between 2021 and 2022, while he was still playing for the Premier League club.
Partey appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday, where he confirmed his name and date of birth before entering not guilty pleas to each charge.
Judge Christopher Hehir set the trial date for November 2, 2026, citing a significant backlog of cases in the crown court system. “You have bail, effectively you are sitting behind a queue of people in prison who are waiting to be tried,” the judge told the player.
Partey was granted bail under the same conditions as at a previous hearing: he must not contact any of the three women involved and must inform police of any permanent change of address or international travel.
His appearance in court came just a day after featuring for Villarreal in their 1-0 Champions League loss to Tottenham in London.
Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 in a £45 million transfer and made 167 appearances for the Gunners, scoring nine goals. He also has more than 50 caps for Ghana. He moved to Villarreal last month.
An Arsenal spokesperson said: “The player’s contract ended on June 30. Due to ongoing legal proceedings, the club is unable to comment on the case.”
