A THREAD: Why Arsenal are interested in signing Thomas Partey. A physical midfielder that can bring much needed athleticism, ball progression, and structure to midfield. A new dimension for an otherwise young team.\\

Difference maker.

Disclaimer: I am not ITK. I have no more information than you if Partey is going to sign. Through this thread I will look deeper into what he can bring to the team if the deals gets over the line. Enjoy!

Thomas Partey is a 27 year old Ghanaian central midfielder. He offers Arsenal a different size and athletic profile which will add a new dimension to the squad. With ability to play in the base of a midfield 3 or in a midfield 2, Arteta will love his flexibility.

Thomas Partey has experience in the Champions League appearing 31 times in the competition throughout his career. Injecting a veteran with this experience into a young squad will help develop a winning mentality at the club.

Arsenal need winners.

Thomas Partey has been a mainstay in the Atletico Madrid midfield for the last three seasons. He has played a role in one of the most organized defenses in all of Europe. Even more exciting is he is continuing to improve each year as a player.

Thomas Partey has lined up in one of the central midfield spots in Atletico Madrid’s 4-4-2 formation. In this system each midfielder has the freedom to push up the field, with the other covering the space left accordingly.

"Partey is the only LaLiga midfielder to play 500+ minutes this season with 80+% take-ons success, 80+% pass accuracy, 65+% aerial duels won and 60+% total duels won." @Squawka

With 4 G/A during the 2019-2020 season this will not blow you away, but Partey is a midfielder that excels in transitioning his team from defense into attack. He is one of the best in the world as serving as an outlet to start an attack for his team.

Forward Passing Machine.

Thomas Partey is often thought of as a defensive minded midfielder, but he is known for his ball progression as well. Thomas ranks towards the top of the list when it comes to attempted take ons completed in the top 5 leagues. This is some good company.

Arsenal have struggled keeping the ball in the opponent’s half of the field. In losses, Arsenal have completed 38% of passes in the opposition half compared to 55% in wins.

This is a key metric that has determined Arsenal’s success this year. The numbers speak for themselves.

Arsenal have lacked a physical presence in midfield since the days of Patrick Viera and the addition of Thomas Partey will add size, athleticism, and much needed structure to the Arsenal midfield.

Arsenal need a dominant force again.

A question I see a lot is “Where will Partey fit into the team?” While Arsenal’s team has been fluid and changing, I will take a look at a few different scenarios below where he may fit in. I’ll look at our current formation and Arteta’s ideal style of play.

3-4-3
In Arsenal’s recent run of form, Arteta has used the 3-4-3 formation. This allows more cover for central defense and wide players to showcase their creativity. I can see Partey slotting into one of the two central midfield spots to play the role as a balanced midfielder.

4-3-3
In previous press conferences, Arteta has said that his ideal system would have two attacking midfielders with one base midfielder. Arteta has shown that he rates Xhaka in a bit of a more advanced role, so I can see Partey most commonly being at the base of this triangle.

Saying that, I would not be surprised to see Arsenal play this formation with a cyclical midfield system where each midfielder has the right to drive up the field, with others covering the base.

4-2-3-1
If Arsenal sign a creative attacking midfielder this summer this formation comes into play as well. Partey would most likely fit in the right side of the midfield pivot to create a strong partnership with Xhaka and give him a stable partner.

The vast majority of CL teams have a midfielder that serves as the transition point from defense to attack. With the ball playing ability of Thomas Partey, he can add this much needed transition point as well as some tempo to Arsenal’s possession.

The links have been very strong and it is clear this would be a positive addition to the Arsenal squad. Through this signing Arsenal would gain much needed athleticism, tempo, and ball progression within midfield.

This signing will allow Arsenal’s team to showcase more balance, but in order to remain competitive in the coming years there will need to be other signings that focus on the creativity that occurs after we transition into attack.

As other teams around us in the league continue to improve in the battle for Champions League football, Arsenal must do the same. The Arteta Project has a long way to go, but signing a midfielder to help control tempo and possession would be a solid start.

If you would like to see more videos of Thomas Partey in action, check out this compilation!
Every like and RT is very much appreciated.