Thomas Partey looked back to his best for Arsenal on Thursday.
Yes, it was a disappointing result for the Gunners, who conceded a last-second equaliser to draw 1-1 with Slavia Prague in the last eight of the Europa League.
But Partey’s dominant display in midfield was certainly a big positive for Arsenal, particularly after his struggles against Liverpool last weekend.
The Ghana international, who joined Arsenal for £45 million in October [BBC Sport], has blown hot and cold even when he has been fit.
There’s been some staggeringly-good displays but, by the same token, the former Atletico Madrid machine has also flattered to deceive on quite a few occasions.
But Thursday was certainly a return to form and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has claimed that his player might come to life in a much bigger way between now and the end of the season.
He told the club’s official website: “Hopefully on Sunday and next Thursday you can see the best version of Thomas Partey. Now he has got a sequence of two or three games, apart from the international break, I think you will see that he will finish the season in a really strong way.
“He is still adapting to our way of playing. He had some big sparks & we can all see what he can bring to the team. Now it is about finding that consistency level that we need from him & building a team that can play around him because he has that capacity.”
Arsenal need a big performance from Partey on Thursday night.
After Slavia nicked an away goal, the Czech side will be favourites to progress into the last four of the Europa League.
But Arteta still has some huge players in his ranks and for £45 million, Partey is certainly a big player in terms of profile. Now he has to prove he is one in terms of occasion, too.
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