Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey in action. (Getty Images)
According to BBC, Arsenal have completed the signing of Ghanaian international midfielder Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid on a long-term deal after triggering his £45.3million release clause just before the summer deadline.
The lucrative deadline day deal bringing Partey to North London also sees Lucas Torreira going the other way round to join Atletico on loan for the 2020-21 campaign. (h/t BBC)
Thomas Partey joined Atletico Madrid’s youth system back in 2011 and initially impressed for the club’s reserve team before rising to prominence while on loan at Mallorca in the Spanish second-tier.
That was succeeded by a productive loan spell at Almeria in the La Liga during the 2014-15 campaign before Partey finally established himself in the Rojiblancos’ first-team in the following season.
The 27-year-old gradually went on to carve out a reputation for himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in Spain, amassing 16 goals and 12 assists in 188 appearances for Atletico in all competitions. Partey won the 2017-18 Europa League and the 2018 UEFA Super Cup during his illustrious stint at the Wanda Metropolitano.
A full international for Ghana since 2016, Partey has 29 senior caps for his nation and represented the Black Stars at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
It is a no-brainer that Arsenal needed to reshape their central midfield options in the summer after the likes of Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira were deemed surplus to requirements.
The deal to re-sign Dani Ceballos on a second successive loan from Real Madrid earlier in the window solved a major headache for Arteta, but the Gunners still needed to bring in at least another midfielder before the deadline.
And the acquisition of Thomas Partey couldn’t have come at a better time for Arsenal, who now boast of world-class talent in their midfield ranks. Granit Xhaka has been one of the mainstays for the Gunners in the middle of the park for the last four seasons and it will be interesting to see how Arteta adapts his dynamics to accommodate the Ghanaian.
A proven performer for Atletico in the La Liga, as well as in the Champions League, Partey knows what it takes to deliver the goods at the highest level. That coupled with the fact that Arsenal have spent big on Partey suggests that he will go straight into the starting XI.
Arsenal’s decision to part ways with Guendouzi and Torreira to make room for Thomas Partey certainly strikes the right chords. The Ghanaian undoubtedly presents a massive upgrade on the two aforementioned players, meaning the club’s deadline day marquee signing also comes as a clear statement of intent that they are ready to push on for a much-awaited return to the Champions League.
Partey still has several years left in his prime and the fans have every reason to expect big things from the 27-year-old as Arsenal aim for greater heights under Arteta.