Arsenal completed the deadline day signing of Thomas Partey earlier this month, and the fans are certainly excited to see their new midfielder.
Many have dubbed the 27-year-old a defensive midfielder, but Partey is much more than that. He has the athleticism of a box-to-box player and even the technical ability of a midfielder that can operate much higher up the pitch.
Whilst his role in Simeone’s Atletico has been quite restrictive, Partey has shown his attacking ability at international level, scoring a goal every three games for Ghana, and even operating as a number ten or second striker at times.
The arrival of Partey should see an instant upgrade to the clubs midfield, with an improvement in dribbling the ball between the lines almost certainly. Below you can view a short video from Sky Sports who highlighted Partey’s statistics in comparison to some current Arsenal midfielders, you can see how he really excels alongside.
Partey Vs other Arsenal midfielders.pic.twitter.com/cQzzdTNDLE
— LTArsenal™ (@ltarsenal) October 6, 2020
What really stands out is ‘duels won’. Since August 2019 he has won 241 duels, Xhaka is the closest Arsenal midfielder with 160. Another is dribbles completed at 64, the next highest Arsenal player being Ceballos at 34.
As well as these more attacking stats, he has also made nearly twice as many interceptions as any other Arsenal midfielder (44).