Former Arsenal midfielder Partey named in Ghana squad ahead of World Cup

Ghana’s Thomas Partey, who joined Villareal from Arsenal in 2025, has pleaded not guilty to seven rape charges in the UK.Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been named in Ghana’s preliminary 28-man squad for next month’s World Cup.The 32-year-old is due to stand trial next year in the United Kingdom, where he has pleaded not guilty to seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4France’s Kouame becomes youngest male Grand Slam match-winner in 17 yearslist 2 of 4Medvedev shocked by wildcard Walton in French Open first roundlist 3 of 4US Supreme court rejects NFL attempt to move racism case to arbitrationlist 4 of 4NBA legend Jordan pays tribute to Guardiola at Man City manager’s sendoffend of listThe charges related to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022.Partey currently plays for Villarreal in Spain’s La Liga, where he moved in 2025, following five seasons with Arsenal.He was initially charged last July, just days after his Arsenal contract expired. Villarreal signed him in August, two days after he was granted bail.Partey played a full part in World Cup qualifying games for Ghana, for whom he has made 58 appearances.Kudus misses out for Ghana at World Cup 2026Tottenham Hotspur forward Mohammed ⁠Kudus ⁠will miss next month’s World Cup due to injury.Kudus, who has scored 13 times in 46 international appearances, suffered a quad injury in January and was ‌expected to return in March. However, the 25-year-old forward suffered a setback in his recovery and has not played a game since Thomas Frank was coaching Tottenham.Kudus, who ⁠joined from West Ham ⁠United last summer, made 19 Premier League appearances for Spurs this season, ⁠scoring twice.Veteran coach Carlos Queiroz, who announced the latest squad list on Tuesday, will rely on Manchester ⁠City’s Antoine Semenyo and ⁠Athletic Club forward Inaki Williams, while PAOK’s former Chelsea defender Abdul Rahman Baba has been ‌recalled for the first time since 2023.