Thomas Partey is an Arsenal player and fans cannot control their excitement. The Ghanaian is one of the best midfielders in the world at the moment, and signing him is a massive statement of intent by Mikel Arteta in his first full season in charge.
Arsenal triggered Partey’s £45 million release clause yesterday (Sky Sports) after Atletico Madrid refused to budge in transfer negotiations. Since the deal was between us and La Liga, we had to pay the entire fee at once, which is something we don’t usually do, especially when the fee is that high.
Why did Arsenal go out of their way to complete the deal? Is Partey really that good? Is he an upgrade to what we currently have in midfield? Let’s see what the stats say.
Thomas Partey vs Arsenal midfielders since August 2019
Tackles:
Partey is a tackling machine. The Ghanaian made 76 tackles for Atleti over the last 14 months, more than every Arsenal midfielder. None of Granit Xhaka (48), Dani Ceballos (50), Mohamed Elneny (37) or Joe Willock (25) come close.
Ball recoveries:
One of Arsenal’s biggest problems over the years has been their inability to win the ball back immediately after they lose it. Partey solves that problem. The 27-year-old has recovered the ball 240 times since the start of last season, putting every Arsenal midfielder to shame.
Xhaka came the closest with 208 while Elneny’s 204, most of which came in Turkey, is the second-best. Matteo Guendouzi, who won’t be with us this season, comes third with 195 while Ceballos recovered the ball 177 times.
Interceptions:
Partey successfully intercepted the ball 44 times in La Liga last season. Xhaka (21) and Ceballos (32) are nowhere near, but Lucas Torreira fared the best for Arsenal with 34 despite not being a regular under Arteta.
The Ghanaian’s interceptions will make Arsenal a very dangerous side. If he can set the attackers free as soon as he cuts off the opponents’ attack, the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Willian and Nicolas Pepe will thrive for us this term
Dribbles completed:
With Partey in the middle, Arsenal’s midfield will have a new dimension. Ceballos is our only player at the moment who can get out of tight spaces by dribbling away from the opponent. The Ghanaian’s completed dribbles, however, put the Real Madrid man’s numbers to shame.
Partey has completed 64 dribbles since last August. Ceballos, predictably, comes second with 34, while Xhaka (25), Willock (21) and Elneny (14) fall well short.
Duels won:
Partey almost always comes off as the winner in duels. The former Atleti man is a warrior in the middle of the park, and it often takes something special from the opponent to get the better of him.
The Ghanaian has won 241 duels since the start of last season. That is an incredible stat on its own, but when you compare it with our midfielders’ numbers, it makes you wonder why we left it so late in the window to sign him.
Xhaka was our best midfielder in terms of duels won (160), but he is still a long way behind our latest signing. Ceballos (135), Elneny (109) and Willock (61) are no match for Partey either, which shows why Arsenal were so desperate to sign him before last night’s deadline.
Credits: Squawka and Sky Sports
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