Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is set to deny two new allegations of rape, a court has heard, as the 32-year-old Ghanaian was absent from the dock during the first hearing. Partey, who now plays for Villarreal, was charged last month with two counts of raping a woman in London in December 2020.

The charges emerged after Partey was previously accused of five counts of rape against two women and sexual assault against a third alleged victim. He has already entered not guilty pleas to those earlier allegations, which date back to 2021 and 2022, with a trial scheduled for November at Southwark Crown Court.

Prosecutor Arabella MacDonald told the court that the new allegations came to light after the first set of charges were widely publicized. Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram sent the two new charges to crown court for a hearing on April 10. Partey, who joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in a £45 million transfer before leaving in June 2024, was released on bail with conditions not to contact the alleged victim.