Partey made three appearances at the 2026 World Cup. Ryan Hiscott via Getty ImagesAug. 21, 2026 Updated 10:24 am EDTThomas Partey has signed for Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab.The 33-year-old has been without a club since leaving Villarreal at the end of last season. Al Shabab announced Partey’s transfer on social media on Friday.The Ghana international will join a squad that includes the likes of former Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill, former Atletico Madrid and Belgium forward Yannick Carrasco and former Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Daniel Podence.Former Arsenal midfielder Partey was charged in the UK with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in July 2025. In September of that year, he pleaded not guilty. He was charged with two new counts of rape in February this year, to which he pleaded not guilty in April.His trial at Southwark Crown Court is scheduled for June 2027. Partey denies any wrongdoing and his lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire of Hickman and Rose, has previously said in a statement that her client welcomes “the opportunity to finally clear his name.”Partey started three of Ghana’s four games at the 2026 World Cup. The Athletic exclusively revealed that Partey had been denied entry to Canada, meaning he would not be able to travel with team-mates to Toronto for Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama. A subsequent appeal to overturn Partey’s ban from entering the country was dismissed.Partey was booed by sections of the Gillette Stadium crowd in Foxboro during his nation’s World Cup group-stage game against England.In his sole season at Villarreal, the former Atletico Madrid midfielder made 32 appearances, five of which came in the Champions League — including a return to north London to face Tottenham Hotspur in September 2025.Villarreal’s decision to sign Partey drew criticism in Spain, the UK and elsewhere, but president Fernando Roig defended the move. The Athletic previously reported that one well-placed source within the Villarreal dressing room said some players had expressed reservations about having Partey as a team-mate.