Arsenal are accelerating their summer activity with the new Premier League season just around the corner. Willian has already signed and Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes is on the verge of completing a deal. Now, it seems the club are turning their attentions to strengthening the heart of midfield.
According to a recent report by Football Ghana, Arsenal are set to announce the signing of Thomas Partey this month. They suggest the Gunners have agreed to pay the players 50 million euros release clause in full.
Elsewhere reports in Spain as brought to us by Sport Witness, have suggested Arsenal had a 25million euro bid plus Matteo Guendouzi rejected and are now considering activating the 50million release clause.
So what type of player is Partey? Partey is not the neatest midfielder in possession, with 83.5% pass success rate, but that is in part due to Simeone’s tactics. He averages 52.6 passes per game, making him a player that is heavily involved in the play. With 0.9 key passes per game, he’s not the most creative and tends to leave that to his teammates, but defensively he shines. 2.5 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 1.2 clearances and 1.8 aerial duels won per game.
With that in mind, Partey would probably replace Ceballos/Torreira in the team and play alongside Granit Xhaka or another deep lying playmaker. Should Dani Ceballos stay at the club, the Spaniard is capable of playing other roles and featuring in the same XI at Partey.
Partey would be able to offer more in terms of ball progression than either Ceballos or Torreira. This link is something that has seriously been lacking in recent seasons. This is highlighted in Partey’s average of 1.7 dribbles per game. Only Pepe (2.3) has averaged more in the Arsenal squad – Ceballos (1.1) and Torreira (0.6) are well behind.