Mikel Arteta and Edu explain why Arsenal FC wanted Thomas Partey

George Flood5 October 2020

Mikel Arteta has expressed his delight at Arsenal signing Thomas Partey, with the manager expecting the midfielder to play a key role in his rebuild.

Arsenal signed Partey after Atletico Madrid announced the midfielder's £45million release clause was met by the Gunners with minutes to spare on transfer deadline day.

The 27-year-old Ghana international played 35 times last season for Atletico, who say the Gunners put in a bid that matched his release clause with 32 minutes remaining in the window.

"LaLiga informed Atletico de Madrid at 11.28pm on Monday that Arsenal representatives have paid Thomas Partey's release clause at the sports association's headquarters," a statement on Atletico's website said.

"The player has therefore unilaterally terminated his contract with our club, which ran until June 30, 2023."

Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira has moved in the opposite direction, joining the LaLiga club on a season-long loan.

Arteta said following Partey's arrival: "We have been watching Thomas for a while, so we're now delighted to add such a high quality player to our squad.

"He is a dynamic midfielder with great energy. He brings a lot of experience from a top club that has competed at the highest level in LaLiga and the Champions League for several years.

"We're very impressed with his attitude and his approach to the game. He's an intelligent footballer and we're looking forward to him integrating into our system and contributing to the progress we're building at the moment at the club."

Arsenal's technical director Edu, said: “Thomas has all the right attributes to be a top player for Arsenal.

"He is a leader on and off the pitch and he is exactly the kind of player and person we want at the club. We already feel like we know Thomas very well based on the work we have done analysing his performances closely in recent times.

"With his all-round game and positive aggressive style, he will be a brilliant addition to our squad. We’ve made a strong start to the season and we want to continue to build on this with Thomas now part of our club.”

Additional reporting by PA.

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