Arsenal finally competed the signing of Atletico Madrid star Thomas Partey on deadline day, bringing a lengthy saga to an end.
The Gunners have been pursuing Partey for months now, and it looked like they would miss out on the Ghanaian due to his asking price.
Atletico made it clear that they wouldn’t negotiate Partey’s sale, and would be sticking to his €50million (£45million) release clause.
On deadline day, Arsenal managed to come up with the cash to pay Partey’s release clause and rush through a last-gasp deal before the international transfer deadline.
The 27-year-old will bring a combative edge to Arsenal’s midfield, but he’s much more than just a destroyer; he can pass brilliantly and get from box-to-box if given the freedom to do so.
They left it late, but Arsenal got their man – and pundits are now raving about the move to bring him to the Emirates Stadium.
Don Hutchison spoke to BBC Sport about the move (21:51), and suggested that Partey will be a ‘great signing’ for the Gunners.
Hutchison is particularly excited to see Partey play with Dani Ceballos, believing that they can form a strong partnership in the middle of the park.
“Thomas Partey will be a great signing for Arsenal,” said Hutchison. “I was reading that Diego Simeone isn’t happy because he wanted the pair – Lucas Torreira and Partey together.”
“For Arsenal they need that sort of player like Partey: a physical presence, he’s very good on the ball, he plugs lots of gaps and with Dani Ceballos, they could form a real relationship in there,” he added.
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