Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey in action. (Getty Images)
According to the Express, Arsenal are in pole position to land Atletico Madrid’s Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey but the Gunners are likely to face stiff competition from French giants Paris Saint Germain.
The 25-year-old central defensive midfielder was one of the cornerstones of Atletico’s successful campaign last term which saw them finish second in the La Liga. Partey also played a key role in the club’s Europa League triumph last season.
A product of the Atletico Madrid’s youth system, Partey spent time on loan at Almeria and Mallorca in his earlier days before making his senior debut in 2015. To be honest, the Ghanaian has taken his game to a new level since his return to the Wanda Metropolitano.
The 25-year-old made 33 appearances in the La Liga last season to go with his 8 appearances in the Europa League and absolutely bossed the midfield for the Spanish giants.
Arsenal have turned their Premier League campaign on its head with six consecutive wins after a disappointing start under Unai Emery.
Emery set the ball rolling in the summer transfer window and bolstered his midfield with the signings of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi. The manager has every reason to be happy with his recruitments as both the players have proved themselves as a perfect fit for his pressing tactics in the midfield.
However, with the impending departure of Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal will have to look for reinforcements to cover for the loss of their longest serving player in recent times.
Quite understandably, Arsenal have been linked with moves for Atlanta United’s Miguel Almiron (ESPN) and Cagliari’s Nicolo Barella (Mirror) to cover for Ramsey’s departure in January or next summer.
As things stand, Arsenal need more depth in their squad to challenge for the title, something that has emerged as a possibility after their stellar unbeaten run of six games in the Premier League. Arsenal will fancy their chances of causing a major upset this term, being only 5 points behind toppers Manchester City with a game in hand.
Atletico’s Thomas Partey should be the ideal replacement for Aaron Ramsey. Although the 25-year-old is primarily a central defensive midfielder by trade, he is equally capable of playing in a more advanced box-to-box role in midfield.
An excellent reader of the game in the midfield, the Ghanaian uses his anticipation to come away with crucial interceptions and does not hesitate to go into 50-50 challenges in the centre of the park. He combines his sound technique with his sharp reflexes and flawless positional awareness to provide solidity to the midfield. In fact, he averaged 2.8 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 0.9 clearances last season in the La Liga, statistics that are very appealing for a central midfielder.
The 25-year-old is also capable of drifting wide at times to support the attack and likes to link up the play with his teammates. He keeps the ball moving in the midfield with his impressive range of passing. His confidence and fluency allow him to switch the play with perfectly weighted long balls. Partey averages 35 passes per game with a success percentage of 90. Furthermore, he averages 2 successful long balls per game this season, something that adds a lot of value in terms of build-up play.
Lucas Torreira has done exceptionally well for Arsenal so far this season but Matteo Guendouzi has shown his lack of experience with poor tactical awareness. Granit Xhaka has somewhat changed his game to comply with Emery’s pressing philosophy. However, Arsenal lack someone in the midfield who can assert his authority with his physicality.
As the season wears on, injuries are bound to creep in and the presence of someone like Partey in the midfield would help the team tackle physically tough opposition.