Thomas Partey signed for Arsenal in October 2020 and has been a regular in the Arsenal starting XI ever since.
The Ghanaian has become a versatile mainstay in Mikel Arteta‘s team as he can play in central midfield, defensive midfield or at full-back which has been vital to the Gunners this season amid the several defensive injuries that they have faced.
The 31-year-old has made over 130 appearances for Arsenal scoring six goals and four assists and was brought in by Mikel Arteta for a fee of £42m from La Liga side Atletico Madrid.
Partey has seen two close Premier League title battles against Manchester City in the last two seasons where his side have come up short by five and two points to Pep Guardiola’s side.
Thomas Partey broke through in Spain
As a youngster, the midfielder was a product of Ghanaian side Krobo Odumase’s youth teams which was the local club to where he was born. Partey was scouted by Atletico Madrid and signed with the Spanish giants in 2012 aged 19 meaning he got his breakthrough slightly later than a lot of top players.
It only took one season for the midfielder to make the squad for Madrid as he was called to action for a game against Real Soceidad in 2013, however he was an unused substitute.
Partey was loaned out to La Liga 2 side Mallorca in July 2013 and he was handed his professional debut aged 20 in a 4-0 away defeat to Sabadell. In his one season at Mallorca, he made 38 appearances, scoring five goals and two assists.
After impressing in La Liga 2, Partey was handed another loan move the subsequent season as he went to La Liga side Almeria. He made 32 appearances for the Spanish club, scoring four goals and establishing himself as a La Liga-standard midfielder.
He was eventually handed his debut for Atletico Madrid in the following season when he played against November 2015 in a 1-0 home win against RCD Espanyol. He made 23 appearances in his first full season for the club, scoring three goals and one assist. Partey also appeared in the Champions League final as he was substituted on in the second half, but his side lost on penalties to Real Madrid.
Partey then signed a new contract at the beginning of the 2016/17 season which was due to keep him in Madrid until 2022. He followed up the new deal with a 24-game season where he scored one goal and four assists.
However, in 2017/18, Partey became a key part of Atletico Madrid’s team as he made 50 appearances and helped his side to a second-placed finish in La Liga, ahead of rivals Real Madrid for the first time in four seasons.
In his final two years at Atletico, Partey remained a mainstay in midfield making 88 appearances, scoring seven goals and seven assists before he joined Arsenal for £42m in 2020.
Partey, an exciting Arsenal signing
When he first came in, many Gunners fans were excited by Thomas Partey who had found much success in La Liga and European competitions with Atletico Madrid.
He was a big-money signing who Mikel Arteta was keen to use to his full potential in the following seasons. Arsenal were in need of an anchor-type player in midfield as they lacked physicality which is exactly what the Ghana international brings to the Gunners’ midfield.
He had a quiet first season for Arsenal, making 36 appearances with three assists, but had to wait for his first Arsenal goal until his second year at the Emirates as he scored in a 3-1 win over Aston Villa in October 2021.
Partey’s first two seasons at Arsenal were plagued by injury, but in his third season, he helped the Gunners take a big step forward to a second-place finish in the Premier League behind Manchester City as Arsenal became real title challengers.
Partey made 33 appearances in the league and scored three goals and he didn’t let up the following season. In 2023/24, a 30-year-old Thomas Partey played alongside record signing Declan Rice in a defensive midfield partnership that helped to produce the best defensive record in the Premier League.
The Ghanaian will now hope to lead Mikel Arteta’s side to their first league title since the 2003/04 season when they went unbeaten under Arsene Wenger.
