Partey time or Partey pooper? How has Thomas Partey settled at the Emirates?

                                  

Partey time or Partey pooper? How has new signing Thomas Partey settled at Arsenal since his move from Atletico Madrid?

By Adam Le Roux

It’s a month ago tomorrow that Thomas Partey came on at the Etihad Stadium to mark his Arsenal debut, with Gunners fans all over the world pining for a view of the new signing. 

The Ghanaian international’s transfer wasn’t without its fanfare, with his £45m price tag certainly helping to raise expectations of what to expect when he made the switch from Atletico Madrid. 

Four matches later, and we are starting to get an idea of what the 27-year-old will bring to Mikel Arteta’s starting lineup, with a sprinkling of quality in the centre of the park when he takes to the field.

There are still some question marks over some aspects of his game though, and having already picked up a knock in the 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa, could injuries derail what looks to be a promising start at the Emirates?

He looks Partey the furniture

After his seven-minute cameo appearance against Manchester City, Arsenal fans didn’t have to wait long to see their new signing from the first whistle, as the Gunners travelled to Rapid Vienna in the Europa League.

Partey played the whole 90 minutes in Austria, and looked every inch an Arsenal player right from the get go, with a commanding performance in midfield alongside Mohamed Elneny.

The Ghanaian patrolled the pitch throughout, and was always looking for the ball when the visitors were in possession, and constantly looking to win it back when they weren’t. 

This heart and desire will go a long way with Arsenal fans, who have been yearning for a dominant midfield general who can drive the ball forward when required to do so. 

The stats speak for themselves from that night, with Partey completing a half-century of passes in the opposition half, the most of anyone on the pitch, as well as leading the way with five tackles and eight ball recoveries. 

If there was ever a full-debut to leave Arsenal fans purring, that was it, and even in defeat to Leicester City three days later, the latest arrival to the Emirates didn’t look out of place. 

There are certainly easier fixtures to make your first Premier League start than a visit of the Foxes, with Brendan Rodgers’ side’s expansive nature when they come forward, and resilience at the back. 

But Partey once again took to the challenge like a duck to water, keeping James Maddison and Dennis Praet quiet for the majority of the game, albeit before Jamie Vardy’s late winner for the visitors. 

It may not have been the result Arsenal fans wanted, but they could take heart from their new man’s performances, and another solid performance at Old Trafford followed, as Arsenal recorded their first Premier League victory at Manchester United in 14 years. 

It is still early days in his Arsenal career, but Partey will already remind Arsenal fans of a certain generation of midfield powerhouses gone by like Patrick Vieira, or Gilberto Silva, and given the time to settle, he could begin to take games by the scruff of the neck the way those two used to.

Keep him out of the treatment room

If there is one thing that could hamper his progress at the Emirates this year it is going to be injuries.

His departure at half time in the Aston Villa defeat almost seemed to pave the way for Jack Grealish and Ross Barkley to walk all over Arsenal in the final third, with the playmakers being given the time and space to hurt the Gunners’ backline again and again. 

And although the hopes are that his thigh injury is only minor, the Villa defeat was testament to how much his presence in the midfield will be missed if they persist. 

The one bit of good news for Arsenal fans is that the 27-year-old’s injury record has been almost non-existent in the years preceding his move to London, with the midfielder missing just six matches with two separate hamstring strains in the past seven years. 

The early prognosis for this recent knock seemed to be positive, with Mikel Arteta hopeful that his new signing will be ready for the trip to Leeds United this weekend, after not meeting up with the Ghana squad for the international break.

It seems to be Arsenal’s luck that a key signing gets injured within five matches of signing for the club, but hopefully the fortnight away from the Premier League has given the midfielder the time to recover ahead of a busy festive period ahead. 

Arteta always has time to Partey

It didn’t take long for the former-Atletico Madrid man to make an impact on his new boss either, with Arteta raving about his all-round performance on debut in Vienna.

The Spaniard knows a thing or two about performing week in week out in the engine room of a Premier League side, and was left purring after the Ghanaian’s first 90 minutes in the red and white of the Gunners.

                                     

"He looked really solid, really comfortable, and I think he held the midfield by himself in the second half when we were a little bit more open and took more chances, attacking spaces with some players,” the Arsenal boss said.

"I think he was fantastic tonight and there is much more to come from him obviously.

And injury-permitting, Partey looks set to be the lynchpin that the Spaniard will build his team around in the months to come, with his assuredness on the ball and doggedness out of possession they key to bringing out the best in his teammates. 

"He needs his team-mates around him, it's not about him. With the price we paid for him and the profile of him, he's going to have a lot of people looking at him every single game,” Arteta said.

"But it's about the structure we have as a team, the flow, the unity and cohesion we have in the team, and he's one piece of that and hopefully a big piece.”

Five games in and it’s a case of so far so good for Arsenal’s new signing, and from the early signals the Gunners have got themselves someone to build a team around in the years to come.

Picture source: Getty Images