The former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault at Southwark crown court.

The 32-year-old is accused of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third woman. The alleged offences took place between 2021 and 2022, when he was an Arsenal player.

Partey spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and his not guilty pleas during a plea and preparation hearing on Wednesday.

Partey’s court appearance came after he came on as a second-half substitute for Villarreal in his team’s 1-0 defeat by Spurs in the Champions League at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday night.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Christopher Hehir told Partey: “Your trial will take place at this court on 2 November 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.”

The judge granted bail on the same conditions as Partey was placed under at a hearing last month. They are that he cannot contact any of the three women and must notify police of any permanent changes of address or international travel. He continues to play for Ghana.

Partey joined Arsenal from Atlético Madrid in 2020 in a transfer worth about £45m. The defensive midfielder had signed for the Spanish club in 2012 and made 188 appearances, as well as going out on loan to Mallorca and Almería. Partey joined Villarreal in August on a free transfer.