Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has raved about Thomas Partey ahead of his return against Norwich City, as quoted in The London Evening Standard.
Arteta has said that he wants the Ghana international defensive midfielder to be a leader and to be a model to the Arsenal youngsters.
The Spaniard has also said that Partey is a player who has a winning culture.
Arteta told The London Evening Standard about Partey: “He has been missing for the last year or so, because he missed almost six months of competition last year, which is a lot, because he came very late as well in the transfer window.
“He is a player that has to be one of the leaders, he has to be the boss in midfield and one of the senior players that has to carry responsibility out of the young players and lead. We have been missing that big time.
“He is a player that has that winning culture, because he has won a lot in the game already, and to have these kind of players in the team is extremely important. So he has got a huge role to play in the team.”
Big player for Arsenal
Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid late last summer and did not have a pre-season with the Gunners.
The 28-year-old also had injury problems last season and could not really showcase his quality on a regular basis.
The former Atletico star injured his ankle against Chelsea in a pre-season friendly and had been on the sidelines.
Until now.
Partey is fit and available for the Premier League game against Norwich today.
The Gunners have lost all three of their Premier League matches so far this season.
Arsenal and Arteta are under pressure to win, and with Partey back in the team, the chances of a win for the North London club today will be enhanced.
Partey has made 24 appearances in the Premier League for Arsenal so far in his career.
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