A former Arsenal star, Thomas Partey, has appeared in court accused of rapig two women and sexually assaulting a third.

The 32-year-old Arsenal midfielder answered the charges at Southwark Crown Court in London today, pleading not guilty to raping two women.

The Ghanaian footballer has been charged with five counts of rape against the two women and a charge of sexual assault against a third alleged victim.

The alleged crimes took place between 2021 and 2022 when he played for the London Premier League team.

Dressed in a navy suit jacket and black jumper, Partey, who joined Spanish team Villarreal in August, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and his not guilty pleas.

His trial date was set for November 2, 2026, with the Judge Christopher Hehir acknowledging that the player’s court date is ‘quite a long way in advance.’

Today’s brief hearing comes a day after Partey joined his new team as a substitute against Tottenham.

Judge Christopher Hehir told the defendant: ‘Your trial will take place at this court on November 2 of next year, 2026.

‘I appreciate that is quite a long way in advance. As you may appreciate the crown courts have a huge backlog of work which means that trials do take a long time to come on.

‘Because you have bail effectively you are sitting behind a queue of people in prison who are waiting to be tried.’

He was granted bail on the same conditions as with a previous hearing.

Partey cannot contact any of the three alleged victims, and he must notify the police of any permanent address changes or travel abroad.

The player previously stated his address as Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.

Partey, who was born in Krobo Odumase in Ghana and has played for the country’s national team dozens of times, transferred to Arsenal for £45 million and joined Villarreal on a free transfer when his contract in London expired.

Villarreal’s manager Marcelino Garcia Toral said ahead of the Tottenham game that Partey is ‘mentally prepared and technically prepared to play tomorrow night.’

He said: ‘For sure he will be ready. We are very happy Thomas is with us for his football capacity, football ability and his presence as a human.’

The Villarreal boss insisted that the attention should be on football amid the legal case, saying that ‘we’re playing a game of football tomorrow where the important thing is football. This is where football was invented after all.’

Partey entered last night’s game in the 78th minute as a substitute and faced booing from the Tottenham Spurs fans, whose team beat Villarreal 1-0.

The player was charged four days after his contract with Arsenal ended at the end of June.

An Arsenal spokesperson commented on the legal case after Partey was charged: ‘The player’s contract ended on June 30. Due to ongoing legal proceedings, the club is unable to comment on the case.’

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