‘He wants to play’: Arteta says 27-year-old Arsenal man really wants to start against City

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has told Football London that Thomas Partey wants to play against Manchester City.

Partey has only just arrived at Arsenal and will train with his teammates for the first time later.

But it seems that the Ghanaian does not want to delay his debut for the Gunners.

And he has told Arteta that he wants a starting place at Arsenal straight away.

“Today he will have his first training session. He will need to go quickly,” Arteta said. “He wants to play. We will see. You see players adapting really quickly and others taking a long time.

“I’ve seen the buzz around the place. The fans are really happy, I’ve seen some really positive reactions. The same with the team and staff. We have rated him for a long time.”

It now remains to be seen whether Partey will be thrown straight in at the deep end or held back by Arteta.

There are few tougher tests in the Premier League than having to try and stop City’s attacking players, but Partey may have the quality required to do so.

The 27-year-old has proven his defensive qualities during his time with Atletico Madrid, and the discipline and power he will bring to Arsenal’s midfield should seriously aid them.

If Partey is to start he looks likely to replace Mohamed Elneny in Arteta’s side.