Thomas Partey: made at Atlético and now ready to break free at Arsenal
Thomas Partey’s capacity to surprise should never have been in doubt. It was 2011 when, as a young midfielder playing in Ghana for second-tier side Tema Youth, he held his breath and took the kind of gamble many young African footballers make in search of a career.
He had been offered a trial in Spain; the details were scant although his father, a football coach, had sold some of his own belongings to afford the documents for any move. Eventually Partey was driven to Accra, his home country’s capital, handed a passport and told it was time to fly. “Nobody from my family knew anything, nor that I was going that day because if they were told then it would cause a lot of problems,” he said later. “I decided to travel without saying anything to anyone.”
The club was Atlético Madrid and Partey was one of the lucky ones. His £45m move to Arsenal on Monday unfolded at warp speed but was far less clandestine, its every wrinkle seemingly played out in front of the world. Partey had set his sights on north London as soon as Arsenal’s interest became clear two seasons ago; he made a point of watching their games and, when he arrives after the international break, there will be a sense player and club already know they have found the right fit.
Ever since April 2019, when Arsenal hosted Partey’s representatives at the Emirates for a Europa League quarterfinal against Napoli, it had essentially been a waiting game for all parties. The terms of any move for the player were agreed in the boardroom at Highbury House, across from the stadium, before that game and meant that side of things was a formality when the deal went through 17 months later. It was one of several meetings in which Arsenal were given plenty of encouragement that Partey, although increasingly prominent in an outstanding Atlético side, would be keen on the move.
Partey is understood to feel playing for Arsenal will allow him to express himself in a way that was not always possible at Atlético. He was primarily viewed by Diego Simeone as a holding player in a regimented, highly effective system and came to feel he was capable of doing more. While Mikel Arteta will almost certainly use him in a deeper position too, valuing his tactical rigour and physical attributes, Partey will be the midfield’s fulcrum. He uses the ball efficiently, can hit a laser-like diagonal pass, and has the potential to open up the pitch with runs from deep in a way that was not always seen in Spain.
These qualities had been clear to Arsenal since 2014, when they began scouting Partey while he was on a season-long loan with Almería. At that point he had not played for Atlético’s first team and it was not until 2017-18, when he played 50 times, that he became a regular under Simeone. Arsenal feel they are getting a player who, at 27 and having learned his trade in such a disciplined setup, still has plenty of room to grow while passing on the benefits of his Atlético education.
While the Arsenal technical director, Edu, was quick to point out that “we feel like we already know Thomas”, he was not in situ when the proposals for Partey’s £230,000-a-week deal were thrashed out. The transfer is, in many ways, a textbook example of how thorough scouting methods can cut across changes in boardroom and dugout. Arsenal did not sign Partey in 2019 because Unai Emery, Arteta’s predecessor, prioritised a winger and there was only so much money to go round given £72m was eventually spent on Nicolas Pépé. But his name was to the fore when Francis Cagigao, the head of recruitment who was surprisingly released in August, presented his dossier of recommended signings towards the end of March 2020 and Arteta needed no convincing that this time the move should go ahead.
Partey’s new teammates will not be sharing their dressing room with a rabble rouser. He is not the most vocal but that is no huge problem in a squad with several strident personalities. In Spain he was regarded as an unpretentious, low-maintenance individual with strong loyalty to a close circle. His agent, José Jiménez, was his tutor upon his arrival in Madrid and he has never felt the need to put his future in the hands of a bigger fish.
Patience has paid off for Partey’s camp even if everyone involved had to sail close to the wind, Arsenal hoping all summer that they could cut a deal with Atlético that involved a lower transfer fee. Partey, who was on a relatively modest contract at Atlético and never quite felt fully valued, held off agreeing new terms that would extend his stay in Madrid. Eventually all sides, and perhaps even Atlético, got what they wanted.
Now Arsenal expect Partey to enhance a side Arteta has already revitalised. With Gabriel Magalhães, another success of the previous scouting regime, having begun impressively the spine of the team looks formidable. Partey hopes to repay their long-term faith and to further bear out the shot in the dark he took nine years ago, too.